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LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


.^^..^  w  rm«, 


LIFE  AND  WORK%'^^'-®'''^' 

REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON 

BEING  A 

Graphic  Account  of  the  Greatest  Preacher 
of  Modern  Times! 

His  Boyhood  and  Early  Life  ;  Wonderful  Success  in  London ; 

Preaching  to  Vast  Audiences  at  the  Crystal  Palace, 

Surrey  Music  Hall  and  in  the  Open  Air; 

Famous  Metropolitan  Tabernacle  ; 

Pastor's  College,  Orphanage, 

etc.,  etc. 

CONTAINING 

Personal  Anecdotes,  Vivid  Descriptions  of  his  Appearance  and 

Characteristics;  Last  Sickness  and  Death;   Magnificent 

Tributes,  etc.,  etc.. 

TO   WHICH    IS    ADDED    A 

VAST  COLLECTION  OF  HIS  ELOQUENT  SERMONS, 
BRILLIANT  WRITINGS,  AND  WITTY  SAYINGS. 

By  HENRY  DAVENPORT*^ORTHROP,  D.  D., 

Author  of  "  Earth,  Sea  and  Sky,"  "  Beautiful  Gems,"  etc.,  etc. 


Embellished  with  Numerous  Fine  Illustrations. 

PHILADELPHIA,   PA.: 

THE  THOMPSON  PUB'G  CO., 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  ihe  year  1890,  by 

J.    R.   JONES, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C, 


PREFACE. 


This  volume  contains  a  graphic  account  of  the  Life 
and  Labors  of  Rev.  C.  H.  Spurgeon.  It  portrays  the 
brilHant  career  of  the  most  celebrated  preacher  of  mod- 
ern times,  his  matchless  eloquence,  his  tender  pathos, 
his  ready  wit,  and  his  wonderful  mastery  over  the 
human  heart. 

It  is  an  interesting  narrative  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's 
life,  and  is  enriched  with  the  choicest  of  his  sermons 
and  lectures,  and  with  a  large  collection  of  extracts 
from  his  most  famous  writincrs. 

This  comprehensive  volume  is  divided  into  three 
parts. 

Book  I.  contains  the  great  preacher's  history.  It 
relates  the  incidents  of  his  early  life,  shows  you  the 
boy  preacher  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  traces  his 
marvellous  successes  in  the  great  metropolis.  It  de- 
scribes the  immense  Metropolitan  Tabernacle  and  its 
vast  throngs,  among  whom  were  not  only  the  poor 
and  illiterate,  but  the  most  famous  persons  of  the 
realm,  including  Gladstone,  Bright,  Shaftesbury,  and 
multitudes  of  others. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  was  not  merely  a  popular  preacher; 
he  was  a  sunny,  genial,  witty,  great-hearted  man.  He 
was  bold  as  Luther  or  Knox,  yet  possessed  deep  sym- 
pathies, fiery  zeal,  loving  charity,  and  carried  on  many 
enterprises  for  the  welfare  of  the  poor  and  unfortb- 
nate.  This  work  describes  his  College,  where  hun- 
dreds of  poor  young  men  were  educated,  and  his 
Orphanage,  which  sheltered  thousands  of  homeless 
children. 

(iii) 


iV  PREFACE. 

His  last,  lingering  illness ;  the  religious  world 
watching  at  his  bedside ;  the  eagerness  with  which 
reports  were  awaited;  his  removal  to  the  south  of 
France  in  hope  of  recovery ;  and  the  final  scene  when 
he  breathed  his  last,  and  both  hemispheres  were 
startled  by  the  news,  all  are  depicted  in  this  volume. 

Book  II.  contains  Mr.  Spurgeon's  most  celebrated 
sermons  and  lectures.  These  are  plain,  pithy,  ex- 
pressed in  vigorous  Saxon,  and  go  right  to  the  heart. 
Young  and  old  alike  are  interested  in  them.  He  was 
a  master  of  the  art  of  illustration,  and  had  the  rare 
faculty  of  making  use  of  the  scenes,  facts  and  inci- 
dents he  met  with  in  his  ordinary  every-day  life. 
There  is,  therefore,  scarcely  a  dull  page  in  his  ser- 
mons or  writings.  He  always  had  something  practi- 
cal and  interesting  to  say,  which  secured  for  him  a 
multitude  of  hearers  and  readers. 

Book  III.  comprises  a  very  interesting  collection  of 
witty,  wise,  pathetic,  eloquent  extracts  from  the  famous 
preacher's  writings.  These  are  illustrated,  and  are 
very  captivating.  Gems  from  the  Spurgeon  "  Note- 
Book,"  quaint  sayings  of  "John  Ploughman,"  beautiful 
figures  and  weighty  moral  lessons,  enrich  this  volume. 

Mr.  Spurgeon's  death  removes  the  most  conspicu- 
ous figure  in  the  religious  world,  and  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  men  of  his  time.  His  deeds  will  live  after 
him.  His  noble  record  is  made.  Whatever  monu- 
ment of  bronze  or  marble  may  be  erected  to  his  mem- 
ory, his  finest  tribute  will  be  the  glowing  words  he 
spoke,  the  myriads  of  souls  he  moved,  the  grand  bat- 
tle he  fought  and  the  brilliant  achievements  which 
cannot  die. 


CONTENTS. 


BOOIC  I. 

CHAPTER   I. 
Birtli  and  Ancestry.  PAa« 

World-wide  Fame. — Unprecedented  Success. — The  Greai  PreacLei^s  Ak- 
cestors. — Good  Old  Grandfather. — Pen-picture  of  a  Country  Minister.-— 
Buckled  Shoes  and  Silk  Stockings. — John,  Father  of  Charles, — A  Good 
Mother. — Reply  of  "  Charley  "  to  his  Mother. — Countiy  Boys. — House- 
hold Influence. — Thirst  for  Knowledge. — An  Industrious  Youth. — A 
Remarkable  Prophecy. — "  Old  Bonner  " // 

CHAPTER  II. 

Mr.  Spurgeon's  Account  of  his  Conversion  and  Early 

Pi'eacliing-. 

A  Desponding  Penitent. — Visit  to  a  Primitive  Methodist  Chapel. — "  Look, 
Look!" — Preaching  in  the  Old  Place. — Happy  Days Light  in  Dark- 
ness.— Profession  of  Faith. — Mission  Work. — Boy  Preacher. — The  First 
Sermon. — Cottage  and  Open-air  Services. — Escaping  College. — Poem     .     34 

CHAPTER   in. 
The  Young:  Preacher  in  Loudon. 

Speech  at  Cambridge. — Invitation  to  London. — Willing  Hearers. — Interest- 
ing Letters  to  New  Park  Street  Church. — Visitation  of  Cholera. — Labors 
among  the  Dying. — Publication  of  Sermons. — Eagerness  of  the  Public  to 
(Obtain  the  Printed  Discourses. — Description  of  the  Youthful  Preacher. — 
Thronging  Crowds. — Birthday  Sermon. — Preaching  in  Scotland. — Good 
News  from  Printed  Sermons. — Reports  of  Many  Conversions  .        .        .54 

CHAPTER   IV. 
A  Wife  and  a  New  Tabernacle. 

Mr.  Spurgeon's  Marriage.. — Twelve  Sermons  Weekly. — Not  an  Aacetic— > 

(V) 


Vi  CONTENTS. 


PAOS 


Surrey  Gardens  Music  Hall. — The  Great  Metropolitan  Tabernacle. — 
Praying  among  Bricks  and  Mortar. — Preaching  to  the  Aristocracy. — Note 
from  Mr.  Gladstone. — Offer  from  an  American  Lecture  Bureau. — How  the 
Preacher  Appeared  in  his  Pulpit.— Pastors'  College. — Poem  Addressed  to 
Mrs.  Spurgeon.— Revivals  and  Colportage. — Talk  of  Founding  a  New 
Sect. — Visit  to  Paris. — Preaching  to  Colter-mongers        ,        ,        ,        •    71 

CHAPTER   V. 
Successful  Labors. 

Orphan  Houses.— Impressive  Spectacle.—"  On  my  Back."— Liberal  Gifts. — 
Illness  of  Mrs.  Spurgeon.— Silly  Tales  —"  A  Black  Business."— Laid 
Aside  by  Illness. — New  Year's  Letter. — The  Pastor  Prostrate. — Discus- 
sion Concerning  Future  Punishment.— The  Bible  and  Public  Schools.— 
A  Victim  to  Gout. — Visit  to  the  Continent. — Pastors'  College. — Ingather- 
ings at  the  Tabernacle. — Colored  Jubilee  Singers. — Pointed  Preaching.—. 
Great  Missionary  Meeting. — A  New  Corner- Stone yt 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Pastors'  College. 

The  First  Student. — Call  for  Preachers  to  the  Masses, — A  Faithful  Instructor. 
— Growth  of  the  College. — Efforts  to  Secure  Funds. — Generous  Gifts.— 
Unknown  Benefactor. — Provision  for  Students. — Opinion  of  Earl  Shaftes- 
bury.— New  Churches  Founded. — Mr.  Spurgeon's  Annual  Report. — Milk 
and  Water  Theology. — Rough  Diamonds. — Course  of  Study. — Earnest 
Workers. — A  Mission  Band. — Interesting  Letters. — Help  for  Neglected 

Fields Ill 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Stockwell  Orphanage. 
A  Large  Gift. — New  Home  for  Children. — Process  of  Building. — Laying 
the  Corner-Stone. — The  Little  Ones  Happy. — Generous  Givers. — Daily 
Life  in  the  Orphanage. — What  Becomes  of  the  Boys. — Rules  of  Admis- 
sion.—Not  a  Sectarian  Institution. — Successful  Anniversary    .        .        .  t^a 


CONTENTS.  "^ 

CHAPTER  VIIL 

Annual  Report  of  Stockwell  Orphanage. 

A  Devoted  Woman. — Faith  Insures  Success. — Story  of  an  Old  Puritan. — 
Need  of  a  Double  Income. — Health  of  the  Orphanage. — An' Appeal 
Hard  to  Resist. — Young  Choristers. — Spontaneous  Charity. — A  Notable 
Year. — Enlarging  the  Bounds. — Girls'  Orphanage. — Liberal  Response  to 
Appeals  for  Help.— The  Miracle  of  Faitl.  and  Labor      .         .         .         .160 

CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Great  Preacher's  Last  Illness  and  Death. 

Alarming  Reports. — Messages  of  Sympathy.— Cheering  Words  from  the 
Christian  Endeavor  Convention  of  the  United  States. — Message  from 
International  Congregational  Council. — Letters  from  the  Prince  of  Wales 
and  Mr.  Gladstone. — Rays  of  Hope. — Anxiety  and  Fervent  Prayers. — 
Glowing  Eulogies. — Removal  to  Mentone. — Unfavorable  Reports. — The 
Closing  Scene. — Immense  Literary  Labors 177 


BOOI?Z  II. 


Sermons  and  L,ectures  by  Rev.  C.  H. 
Spurg^eon. 

Hands  Full  of  Honey i93 

Glory 219 

The  Luther  Sermon  at  Exeter-Hall        .       .       .       .       .  244 

The  Best  War-Cry 261 

Lecture  on  Candles 287 


vm  CONTENTS. 

Lecture  to  Students  on  the  Blind  Eye  and  Deaf  Ear      .  324 
Short  Sermons  on  Practical  Subjects     .....  352 


BOOIC  III. 

Choice  Selections  from  the  "Writings  of 
Rev.  C.  H.  Spurg^eon. 

John  Ploughman's  Talk  and  Pictiu-es 361 

Feathers  for  Arrows,  or  Life  Thoughts  of  Rev,  C.  H. 

Spurgeon 447 

Tributes  to  Rev.  C.  H.  Spurgeon 4*6 


BOOK    I. 

THE  STORY  OF  HIS  LIFE  AND  LABORS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Birth  and  Ancestry. 


World-wide  Fame.— Unprecedented  Success.— The  Great  Preacher's  Ancestors. 
—Good  Old  Grandfather.— Pen  picture  of  a  Country  Minister.— Buckled 
Shoes  and  Silk  Stockings.— John,  Father  of  Charles.— A  Good  Mother.— 
Reply  of  "  Charley  "  to  his  Mother.— Country  Boys.— Household  Influence. 
—Thirst  for  Knowledge.— An  Industrious  Youth.— A  Remarkable  Prophecy. 
— "  Old  Bonner." 

The  fame  of  Rev.  C.  H.  Spurgeon  has  filled  the 
world.  His  name  is  known  among  all  civilized 
peoples,  and  his  sermons  and  writings  have  been 
translated  into  many  languages.  No  other  man  of 
modern  times  preached  to  such  muldtudes  of  peo- 
ple ;  no  other  possessed  a  combination  of  gifts  so 
rare.  If  success  is  the  standard  of  merit,  the  great 
London  preacher  was  the  Saul  among  the  prophets, 
standing  head  and  shoulders  above  others. 

Charles     Haddon    Spurgeon    descended   from    the 
Essex  branch  of  the  same  family.     Early  in  his  minis- 
try in  London,  he  was  introduced,  at  a  book-store  m 
Paternoster  Row,  to  Mr.  John  Spurgeon,  a  descendant 
2  (17) 


18  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

of  the  Norwich  branch  of  the  family;  and  on  com- 
paring notes  of  their  respective  ancestors,  piety,  up- 
rightness, and  loyalty  were  found  alike  in  both.  The 
same  spirit  of  religious  intolerance  which  sent  the 
immortal  Bunyan  to  Bedford  Jail  for  preaching  the 
gospel  also  sent,  in  1677,  Job  Spurgeon  to  Chelms- 
ford Jail,  where,  for  conscience'  sake,  he  lay  on  a 
pallet  of  straw  for  fifteen  weeks,  in  extremely  severe 
winter  weather,  without  any  fire. 

The  great-grandfather  of  Pastor  Spurgeon  was 
contemporary  with  the  opening  period  of  the  reign 
of  King  George  III.  The  record  preserved  of  his 
memory  is,  that  he  was  a  pious  man,  and  ordered  his 
household  according  to  the  will  of  God.  From  that 
day  to  this,  the  family  has  never  wanted  a  man  to 
stand  before  God  in  the  service  of  the  sanctuary. 

A  Good  Old  Grandfather. 

James,  the  grandfather  of  Pastor  C.  H.  Spurgeon, 
was  born  at  Halstead,  in  Essex,  September  29,  1776. 
As  a  boy  he  was  seriously  inclined,  and  whilst  yet  a 
youth  became  a  member  of  the  Independent  church 
at  Halstead.  Whilst  an  apprentice  at  Coggeshall  he 
was  accepted  as  a  member  of  the  church  there  under 
the  pastoral  care  of  the  Rev.  S.  Fielding.  Following 
business  pursuits  till  he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age, 
his  mind  at  that  period  was  directed  entirely  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry,  and  in  1802  he  entered  Hoxton 
Academy.  After  two  years'  study,  an  application 
from  Clare,  in  Suffolk,  was  made  to  him  to  try  and 
raise  a  congregation  which  was  very  low  ;  and  in  this 


BIRTH    AND   ANCESTRY.  19 

he  succeeded  so  far,  that  in  September,  1806,  he  was 
appointed  pastor,  aud  the  church  prospered  under  his 
pastorate. 

The  protracted  ministry  of  Mr.  Beddow  in  the 
Independent  church  at  Stambourne,  in  Essex  (a 
church  which  had  only  four  ministers  during  the 
course  of  two  hundred  years),  having  terminated  in 
1 8 10,  Mr.  Spurgeon  received  a  unanimous  call  to  the 
oversight  of  that  church,  which  he  accepted,  and  in 
May,  181 1,  he  was  recognized  as  their  pastor.  Him- 
self the  fourth  of  a  succession  of  long-lived  pastors 
in  that  village,  he  remained  pastor  over  the  church 
more  than  half  a  century,  during  which  period  he  was 
peaceful,  happy,  and  successful  in  his  labors.  He 
frequently  remarked,  when  more  than  fourscore  years 
old,  "I  have  not  had  one  hour's  unhappiness  with  my 
church  since  I  have  been  over  it."  Invitations  from 
other  churches  were  sent  to  him,  but  the  love,  har- 
mony, and  prosperity  which  prevailed  between  pastor 
and  people  induced  him  to  decline  them  all,  and  he 
remained  true  to  the  people  of  his  choice. 

Pen-picture  of  a  Coul.  ry  Minister. 

It  is  a  recorded  fact,  worthy  of  perpetuation,  that 
the  venerable  James  Spurgeon  never  preached  in  any 
place  away  from  his  own  church,  but  God  fulfilled  his 
promise,  and  gave  him  to  hear  of  some  good  being 
done  to  persons  in  the  congregation.  He  had  a  large 
head,  and  much  that  was  good  in  it.  He  had  a  good 
voice,  and  was  very  earnest  and  practical  in  preaching 
the  glorious  truths  of  the  gospel.     The  great  useful- 


20  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

ness  of  his  life-long  ministry  will  be  known  only  in 
eternity.  He  was  known  widely  in  Essex  as  a  man 
of  the  old  school — staid,  quiet,  and  uniform  in  his 
dress  and  habits.  He  was  the  very  picture  of  neat- 
ness, and  in  many  particulars  resembled  John  Wesley, 
especially  in  his  manners  and  stature.  He  wore  a 
dress  cravat,  a  frilled  shirt,  and  had  a  vest  with  deep 
pockets,  as  if  provided  for  large  collections.  He  was 
seldom  without  a  packet  of  sweets,  which  he  gave 
generously  to  the  children  wherever  he  went,  so  that 
they  gathered  round  him  and  attached  themselves  to 
him  with  a  firmness  which  riper  years  did  not  shake. 

Last  Days. 

He  was  always  happy  in  the  company  of  young 
people.  He  wore  the  breeches,  buckled  shoes,  and 
silk  stockings  which  marked  the  reign  of  George  III., 
and  he  really  looked  to  be  a  venerable  Nonconformist 
minister  of  a  past  age.  For  more  than  half  a  century 
his  life  corresponded  with  his  labors.  His  gentle 
manners,  his  sincere  piety,  and  his  uniformity  of  con- 
duct secured  for  him  the  eood  will  of  his  neighbors, 
md  he  was  as  friendly  with  the  parochial  clergymen 
IS  with  his  attached  Nonconformist  frieiids.  He  often 
went  to  the  parish  church  to  hear  the  sermon  when 
the  prayers  were  over,  especially  when  the  cause  of 
missions  was  to  be  advocated. 

He  was  blessed  with  a  wife  whose  piety  and  useful 
labors  made  her  a  valuable  helpmeet  to  her  husband 
in  every  good  word  and  work.  In  his  last  illness  he 
was  sustained  by  divine  grace,  and  the  desire  he  had 


BIKTH    AND    ANCESTRY.  21 

SO  often  expressed,  that  he  might  speak  of  Christ  on 
his  dying  bed,  was  granted  to  him.  He  said  the  gospel 
was  his  only  hope ;  he  was  on  the  Eternal  Rock,  im- 
mutable as  the  throne  of  God.  Those  who  were 
privileged  to  witness  his  departure  from  earth  will 
never  forget  his  joy  and  peace,  and  the  glorious  pros- 
pect he  had  of  heaven. 

The  Senior  Spurg-eon. 

John  Spurgeon,  the  father  of  Charles,  was  born  at 
Stambourne  in  1811.  He  was  the  second  of  ten 
children.  He  was  a  portly-looking  man,  a  good  speci- 
men of  a  country  gentleman,  and  was  nearly  six  feet 
in  height.  For  many  years  he  was  engaged  in  busi- 
ness at  Colchester ;  but,  with  so  excellent  an  example 
of  a  minister  as  was  his  father,  it  is  not  strange  that 
his  mind  should  have  run  in  the  same  direction, 
though  he  did  not  fully  enter  on  the  ministry  till  he 
had  reached  the  prime  of  lite.  For  sixteen  years  he 
preached  on  Sundays  to  a  small  Independent  church 
at  Tollesbury,  being  occupied  with  business  during 
the  week.  He  next  accepted  a  call  to  the  pastorate 
of  the  Independent  church  at  Cranbrook,  Kent,  a 
village  of  three  thousand  persons,  where  he  remained 
five  years. 

The  popularity  of  his  son  Charles  in  London  was 
not  without  its  influence  on  the  father,  whose  personal 
worth  and  whose  ministerial  ability  were  not  unknown 
in  the  metropolis,  as  he  had  spoken  occasionally  at 
meetings  held  by  his  son.  The  pastorate  of  the 
Independent  church  in  Fetter  Lane,  Holborn,  became 


22  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

vacant,  and  was  offered  to  and  accepted  by  Mr.  Spur- 
geon  ;  but  his  stay  there  was  not  long.  A  sphere 
more  in  accordance  with  his  years  and  position  was 
offered  and  accepted  by  him,  and  for  some  time 
he  was  pastor  of  the  Independent  church  worshipping- 
in  the  Upper  Street,  Islington.  That  position  he 
resigned  at  the  end  of  the  year  1876.  He  did  good 
work  in  that  locality,  and  was  much  beloved  by  the 
people.  His  preaching  was  plain,  earnest,  and 
pointed,  and  he  manifested  an  affectionate  solicitude 
for  all  under  his  pastoral  care,  especially  the  young 
people. 

A  Good  Mother. 

There  are  many  large  places  of  worship  in  the 
locality,  and  preachers  of  distinction  are  numerous  in 
that  populous  suburb;  but  even  there  Mr.  Spurgeon 
gathered  a  large  and  important  congregation  twice  on 
the  Sabbath,  to  whom  his  preaching  was  both  accept- 
able and  beneficial.  The  various  branches  of  church 
work  were  carried  on  with  energy  and  fidelity ;  and 
those  which  required  female  agency  were  fostered 
and  watched  over  with  affectionate  solicitude  by  Mrs. 
Spurgeon,  whose  motherly  affection  secured  for  her  a 
welcome  in  the  families  of  the  church.  Mr.  John 
Spurgeon  has  passed  to  his  reward. 

Mrs.  John  Spurgeon  was  the  youngest  sister  of 
Charles  Parker  Jervis,  Esq.,  of  Colchester,  in  which 
town  her  husband  carried  on  business  for  many  years. 
Wherever  she  has  resided  she  has  been  known  and 
esteemed  for  her  sincere  piety,  her  great  usefulness 


BIRTH    AND    ANCESTRY.  23 

and  humility.  She  is  low  in  stature,  and  in  this  re- 
spect her  son  Charles  takes  after  her,  but  not  in 
features,  in  which  particular  the  other  son,  James 
Archer  Spurgeon,  assimilates  more  to  his  mother. 
The  prayerful  solicitude  with  which  she  trained  her 
children  has  been  rewarded  by  each  one  of  them 
making  a  public  profession  of  their  faith  in  Christ. 
Two  of  her  sons  occupy  foremost  places  in  the  me- 
tropolis as  preachers  of  the  gospel ;  and  one  of  her 
daughters,  the  wife  of  a  minister,  not  only  assists  her 
husband  in  the  preparation  of  his  sermons,  but  occa- 
sionally delivers  addresses  to  small  audiences. 

Speaking  one  day  to  her  son  Charles  of  her  solici- 
tude for  the  best  interests  of  all  her  children,  Mrs. 
Spurgeon  said,  "Ah,  Charley,  I  have  often  prayed 
that  you  might  be  saved,  but  never  that  you  should 
become  a  Baptist."  To  this  Charles  replied,  "  God 
has  answered  your  prayer,  mother,  with  His  usual 
bounty,  and  given  you  more  than  you  asked." 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spurgeon  made  great  sacrifices 
of  personal  comfort  to  give  a  good  education  to  their 
children,  and  the  children  were  taught  habits  of  thrift 
and  self-denial.  The  care  thus  bestowed  on  their 
training  when  young  has  been  to  the  parents  a  source 
of  much  satisfaction  ;  the  good  results  of  that  care 
are  manifested  in  the  happy  home  lives  of  their  chil- 
dren. When,  at  some  future  period,  the  historian  of 
the  Metropolitan  Tabernacle  and  of  the  Stockwell 
Orphanage  is  considering  the  primary  causes  of  those 
great  enterprises,  the  care  which  Mrs.  Spurgeon  be- 


24  REV.    CHARLES    H.    SPURGEON. 

Stowed  on  the  early  training  of  her  family  must  be 
counted  as  a  valuable  auxiliary  in  preparing-  the  way 
for  such  exemplary  conduct. 

The  Coimtry  Boys. 

The  villages  of  England,  more  than  the  towns,  have 
the  honor  of  producing  our  great  men.  In  the  vil- 
lage the  faculties  develop  themselves  as  nature  forms 
them,  while  in  the  large  towns  a  thousand  delusive 
influences  are  continually  diverting  the  minds  of  the 
young  into  channels  of  danger  and  error.  The 
parents  of  Pastor  Spurgeon  were  residing  at  the 
village  of  Kelvedon,  in  Essex,  when  on  June  19, 
1834,  their  son  Charles  was  born.  The  population 
of  the  place  is  only  two  thousand  souls,  and  the  resident 
clergyman,  at  the  time  just  stated,  the  Rev.  Charles 
Dalton,  lived  long  enough  to  celebrate  his  jubilee  as 
minister  in  that  parish.  The  Spurgeon  family  be- 
longed to  the  Nonconformists,  under  whose  teaching 
they  were  all  brought  up.  Charles  and  James  Spur- 
geon were  much  separated  during  their  early  years. 
Charles  was  of  a  larger  and  broader  build  than  James, 
and  the  boys  of  the  village  are  said  to  have  given 
them  names  desigfnative  of  character,  which  also  indi- 
cated  friendship  or  attachment.  Charles  had  as  a 
boy  a  larger  head  than  his  brother,  and  he  is  repre- 
sented as  taking  in  learning  more  readily  than  James, 
whilst  the  latter  excelled  more  in  domestic  duties. 
Besides  the  brothers  there  are  six  sisters  living,  two 
of  whom  are  said  to  resemble  Charles  in  mental 
energy. 


!^rp^5*B-*^ 


i-mmmmtmmmm*,,.^. 


\Uu^^yyu^^ 


""III,  -v///i,///"ll" 
REV.  JAMES  A.  SPURGEON,  CO-PASTOR. 


26 


26  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

Household  Nurture. 

As  the  children  were  growing  up,  the  father,  Hke 
many  professional  and  public  men,  feared  his  frequent 
absence  from  home  would  interfere  with  the  reliofious 
education  of  the  little  ones.  But  happily  for  him  he 
had  a  true  helpmeet  to  co-operate  with  him  in  this 
important  work,  and  happily  for  those  children  they 
had  a  noble  mother  who  lived  for  them,  and  sought 
to  build  them  up  in  true  Christian  character.  Nor 
has  she  lived  unrewarded  for  her  pains.  Oh,  that  all 
mothers  learned  the  lesson  well !  Hear  the  good 
man  speak  thus  of  his  wife  ; 

I  had  been  from  home  a  great  deal,  trying  to  build 

up  weak  congregations,  and  felt  that  I  was  neglecting 

the  religious  training  of  my  own  children  while  I  was 

toilinor  for  the  orood  of  others.     I  returned  home  with 

these  feelings.     I  opened  the  door  and  was  surprised 

to  find  none   of  the   children   about  the  hall.     Going 

quiedy  upstairs,  I  heard  my   wife's   voice.     She  was 

engaged   in  prayer  with   the   children  ;    I   heard   her 

pray  for  them   one   by  one   by  name.     She    came  to 

Charles,  and  specially  prayed  for  him,  for  he  was  of 

high    spirit  and  daring  temper.      I  listened    till  she 

had   ended  her  prayer,  and   I  felt  and  said,  "  Lord,  I 

will  go  on  with  Thy  work.     The  children  will  be  cared 

for." 

The  Diligent  Youth. 

When  just  old  enough  to  leave  home,  Charles  was 
removed  to  his  grandfather's  house  at  Stambourne, 
where,  under  the  affectionate   care  of  a  maiden  aunt 


BIRTH    AND   ANCESTRY.  27 

and  directed  by  the  venerable  pastor,  he  soon  de- 
veloped into  the  thoughtful  boy,  fonder  of  his  book 
than  of  his  play.  He  would  sit  for  hours  together 
gazing  with  childish  horror  at  the  grim  figures  of  "Old 
Bonner  "  and  "  Giant  Despair  ;  "  or  tracing  the  ad- 
ventures of  Christian  in  the  "Pilgrim's  Progress,"  or 
of  "  Robinson  Crusoe."  The  pious  precocity  of  the 
child  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  all  around.  He 
would  astonish  the  (jrave  deacons  and  matrons  who 
met  at  his  grrand father's  house  on  Sabbath  evenino-s, 
by  proposing  subjects  for  conversation,  and  making 
pertinent  remarks  upon  them.  At  that  early  period 
in  life  he  gave  indications  of  that  decision  of  character 
and  boldness  of  address  for  which  he  has  since  be- 
come so  remarkable. 

In  the  spring  of  1840,  and  before  he  was  six  3'ears 
old,  seeing  a  person  in  the  village  who  made  a  pro- 
fession of  religion  standino-  in  the  street  with  others 
known  to  be  of  doubtful  character,  he  made  up  to 
the  big  man,  and  astonished  him  by  asking,  "  What 
doest  thou  here,  Elijah  ?  " 

In  1 841  he  returned  to  his  father's  house,  which 
was  then  at  Colchester,  that  he  might  secure  what 
improved  advantages  in  education  a  town  could  supply. 
His  mental  development  was  even  then  considerably 
in  advance  of  his  years ;  and  his  moral  character, 
especially  his  love  of  truth,  was  very  conspicuous. 

Spending  the  summer  vacation  at  his  grandfather's, 
in  1844,  when  he  was  just  ten  years  old,  an  incident 
occurred  which  had  a  material  intiiience  on  the  boy 


28 


REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 


at  the  time,  and  even  more  so  as  Divine  Providence 
opened  his  way.  Mr.  Spurgeon's  grandfather  first 
related  the  incident  to  the  writer,  but  it  has  since 
been  written  by  Mr.  Spurgeon  himself,  with  title  of 
"  The  Rev.  Richard  Knill's  Prophecy."  The  account 
is  as  follows : 

A  Puzzling  Question. 

"  When  I  was  a  very  small  boy,"  writes  Charles  H. 
Spurgeon,  "  I  was  staying  at  my  grandfather's,  where 
I  had  aforetime  spent  my  earliest  days ;  and,  as  the 
manner  was,  I  read  the  Scriptures  at  family  prayer. 
Once  upon  a  time,  when  reading  the  passage  in  the 
Book  of  Revelation  which  mentions  the  bottomless  pit, 
I  paused  and  said,  '  Grandpa,  what  can  this  mean  ?  ' 
The  answer  was  kind  but  unsatisfactory  :  '  Pooh,  pooh, 
child,  go  on.'  The  child  intended,  however,  to  have 
an  explanation,  and  therefore  selected  the  same 
chapter  morning  after  morning,  Sunday  included,  and 
always  halted  at  the  same  verse  to  repeat  the  inquiry. 
At  length  the  vc^nerable  patriarch  capitulated  at 
discretion,  by  saying,  '  Well,  dear,  what  Is  it  that  puzzles 
you  ? '  Now,  the  child  had  often  seen  baskets  with  very 
frail  bottoms,  which  in  course  of  wear  became  bottom- 
less, and  allowed  the  fruit  placed  therein  to  fall  upon 
the  ground. 

"  Here,  then,  was  the  puzzle :  If  the  pit  aforesaid 
had  no  bottom,  where  would  all  the  people  fall  who 
dropped  out  at  its  lower  end  ? — a  puzzle  which  rather 
startled  the  propriety  of  family  worship,  and  had  to 
be  laid  aside  for  explanation  at  a  more  convenient 


BIRTH    AND   ANCESTRY.  29 

season.  Questions  of  the  like  simple  and  natural 
character  would  frequently  break  up  into  paragraphs 
at  the  family  Bible- reading,  and  had  there  not  been  a 
world  of  love  and  license  allowed  to  the  inquisitive 
reader,  he  would  soon  have  been  deposed  from  his 
office.  As  it  was,  the  Scriptures  were  not  very  badly 
rendered,  and  were  probably  quite  as  interesting  as 
if  they  had  not  been  interspersed  with  original  and 
curious  inquiries." 

A  Walk  Before  Breakfast. 

On  one  of  these  occasions  Mr.  Knill,  whose  name 
is  a  household  w^ord,  whose  memory  is  precious  to 
thousands  at  home  and  abroad,  stayed  at  the  minister's 
house  on  Friday,  in  readiness  to  preach  at  Stambourne 
for  the  London  Missionary  Society  on  the  following 
Sunday.  He  never  looked  into  a  young  face  without 
yearning  to  impart  some  spiritual  gift.  He  was  all 
love,  kindness,  earnestness,  and  warmth,  and  coveted 
the  souls  of  men  as  misers  desire  the  ofold  their  hearts 
pine  for.  He  heard  the  boy  read,  and  commended : 
a  little  judicious  praise  is  the  sure  way  to  a  young 
heart. 

An  agreement  was  made  with  the  lad  that  on  the 
next  morning,  Saturday,  he  would  show  Mr.  Knill 
over  the  garden,  and  take  him  for  a  walk  before  break 
fast:  a  task  so  flattering  to  juvenile  self-importance 
was  sure  to  be  readily  entered  upon.  There  was  a 
tap  at  the  door,  and  the  child  was  soon  out  of  bed 
and  in  the  garden  with  his  new  friend,  who  won  his 
heart  in  no  time  by  pleasing  stories  and  kind  words, 


30  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

and  giving  him  a  chance  to  communicate  in  return. 
The  talk  was  all  about  Jesus,  and  the  pleasantness  of 
loving  him.  Nor  was  it  mere  talk  ;  there  was  plead- 
ing too.  Into  the  great  yew  arbor,  cut  into  the  shape 
of  a  sugar-loaf,  both  went,  and  the  soul-winner  knelt 
down;  with  his  arms  around  the  youthful  neck,  he 
poured  out  vehement  intercession  for  the  salvation  of 
the  lad.  The  next  mornino-  witnessed  the  same  in- 
struction  and  supplication,  and  the  next  also,  while  all 
day  long  the  pair  were  never  far  apart,  and  never  out 
of  each  other's  thoughts.  The  mission  sermons  were 
preached  in  the  old  Puritan  meeting-house,  and  the 
man  of  God  was  called  to  go  to  the  next  halting- 
place  in  his  tour  as  deputation  for  the  Society. 

Singular  Prophecy. 

But  he  did  not  leave  till  he  had  uttered  a  most 
remarkable  prophecy..  After  even  more  earnest 
prayer  with  his  little  protege,  he  appeared  to  have  a 
burden  on  his  mind,  and  he  could  not  go  till  he  had 
eased  himself  of  it.  "  In  after  years,"  writes  Mr. 
Spurgeon,  "  he  was  heard  to  say  he  felt  a  singular 
interest  in  me,  and  an  earnest  expectation  for  which 
he  could  not  account.  Calling  the  family  together, 
he  took  me  on  his  knee,  and  I  distinctly  remember  his 
saying,  '  I  do  not  know  how  it  is,  but  I  feel  a  solemn 
presentiment  that  this  child  will  preach  the  gospel  to 
thousands,  and  God  will  bless  him  to  many  souls. 
So  sure  am  I  of  this,  that  when  my  little  man  preaches 
in  Rowland   Hill's  chapel,  as  he  will  do  one  day,  I 


BIRTH    AND   ANCESTRY.  31 

should  like  him  to  promise  me  that  he  will  give  out 
the  hymn  commencing — 

God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform. 

This  promise  was  of  course  made,  and  was  followed 
by  another — namely,  that  at  his  express  desire  I 
would  learn  the  hymn  in  question,  and  think  of  what 
he  had  said. 

*'The  prophetic  declaration  was  fulfilled.  When  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  preaching  the  Word  of  Life  in 
Surrey  Chapel,  and  also  when  I  preached  in  Mr. 
Hill's  first  pulpit  at  Wootton-under-Edge,  the  hymn 
was  sung  in  both  places.  Did  the  words  of  Mr.  Knill 
help  to  bring  about  their  own  fulfilment?  I  think  so. 
I  believed  them,  and  looked  forward  to  the  time  when 
I  should  preach  the  Word.  I  felt  very  powerfully 
that  no  unconverted  person  might  dare  to  enter  the 
ministry.  This  made  me  the  more  intent  on  seeking 
salvation,  and  more  hopeful  of  it ;  and  when  by  grace 
I  was  enabled  to  cast  myself  on  the  Saviour's  love, 
it  was  not  long  before  my  mouth  began  to  speak  of 
his  redemption.  How  came  that  sober-minded 
minister  to  speak  thus  to  and  of  one  into  whose 
future  God  alone  could  see  ?  How  came  it  that  he 
lived  to  rejoice  with  his  younger  brother  in  the  truth 
of  all  that  he  had  spoken  ?  The  answer  is  plain. 
But  mark  one  particular  lesson  :  would  to  God  that 
we  were  all  as  wise  as  Richard  Knill  in  habitually 
sowing   beside   all    waters.       Mr.   Knill    might   very 


32  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

naturally  have  left  the  minister's  little  grandson  on 
the  plea  that  he  had  other  duties  of  more  importance 
than  praying  with  children  ;  and  yet  who  shall  say 
that  he  did  not  effect  as  much  by  that  simple  act  of 
humble  ministry  as  by  dozens  of  sermons  addressed 
to  crowded  audiences  ?  To  me  his  tenderness  in 
considering  the  little  one  was  fraught  with  everlasting 
consequences,  and  I  must  ever  feel  that  his  time  was 
well  laid  out." 

"Old  Bonner.'* 
During  the  fostering  care  of  his  aunt  Ann — his 
father's  unmarried  sister  at  Stambourne — an  attach 
ment  grew  up  which  was  as  sincere  in  affectionate 
regard  as  that  which  usually  exists  between  parent  and 
child.  This  aunt  had  charge  of  the  infant  Spurgeon 
during  most  of  the  first  six  years  of  his  life.  He  was 
the  first  grandchild  in  the  family.  Care  was  taken  by 
his  aunt  to  instruct  him  gradually  as  the  mind  was 
capable  of  receiving  impressions  ;  but  from  his  child- 
hood his  mind  seems  to  have  been  framed  after 
nature's  model.  The  book  he  admired  at  his  grand- 
father's,  which  had  for  one  of  its  illustrations  the 
portrait  of  Bonner,  Bishop  of  London,  was  the  cause 
of  his  mind  receiving  its  first  impressions  against 
tyranny  and  persecution  ;  and  being  told  of  the  perse- 
cuting character  of  Bonner,  the  child  manifested  a 
great  dislike  to  the  name,  and  called  the  picture  which 
represented  the  bishop  "  Old  Bonner."  Even  at  that 
early  period,  of  life,  before  he  was  six  years  old,  he 


BIRTH   AND   ANCESTRY.  33 

exhibited  a  marked  attachment  to  those  who  were 
known  as  the  children  of  God, 

Four  years  of  the  boy's  Hfe  were  spent  at  a  school 
at  Colchester,  where  he  studied  Latin,  Greek,  and 
French.  He  was  a  diligent  student,  always  carrying 
the  first  prize  in  all  competitions.  In  1849  he  was 
placed  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Swindell,  at  Newmarket. 
There  he  learned  to  practise  much  self-denial.  The 
privations  he  voluntarily  submitted  to  at  that  time 
showed  how  decided  were  his  purposes  to  acquire 
knowledge,  and  as  far  as  he  knew  to  try  and  serve 
God.  But  the  struggle  which  was  going  on  in  his 
mind,  preparatory  to  his  giving  his  heart  fully  to  God, 
can  only  be  described  in  his  own  touching  words,  as 
recorded  in  one  of  his  sermons.  Speaking  of  a  free- 
thinker, he  remarks :  "  I,  too,  have  been  like  him. 
There  was  an  evil  hour  in  which  I  slipped  the  anchor 
of  my  faith :  I  cut  the  cable  of  my  belief:  I  no  longer 
moored  myself  hard  by  the  coast  of  Revelation :  I 
allowed  my  vessel  to  drift  before  the  wind,  and  thus 
started  on  the  voyage  of  infidelity.  I  said  to  Reason, 
Be  thou  my  captain  ;  I  said  to  my  own  brain,  Be  thou 
my  rudder ;  and  I  started  on  my  mad  voyage.  Thank 
God  it  is  all  over  now ;  but  I  will  tell  you  its  brief 
history:  it  was  one  hurried  sailing  over  the  tem- 
pestuous ocean  of  free  thought."  The  result  was, 
that  from  doubting  some  things,  he  came  to  question 
everything,  even  his  own  existence. 

But  soon  he  conquered  those  extremes  to  which 
Satan  often  drives  the  sinner  who  is  really  repenting. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Mr.  Spurgeon's  Account  of  his  Conversion  and 
Early  Preaching. 

A  Desponding  Penitent. — Visit  to  a  Primitive  Methodist  Chapel. — "  Look 
Look !  " — Preaching  in  the  Old  Place. — Happy  Days. — Light  in  Darkness.^ 
Profession  of  Faith. — Mission  Work. — Boy  Preacher. — The  First  Sermon.— 
Cottage  and  Open-air  Services. — Escaping  College. — Poem. 

I  WILL  tell  you  how  I  myself  was  brought  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth.  It  may  happen  the  telling 
of  that  will  bring  some  one  else  to  Christ.  It  pleased 
God  in  my  childhood  to  convince  me  of  sin,  I  lived  a 
miserable  creature,  finding  no  hope,  no  comfort,  think- 
ing that  surely  God  would  never  save  me.  At  last 
the  worst  came  to  the  worst — I  was  miserable  ;  I  could 
do  scarcely  anything.  My  heart  was  broken  in  pieces. 
Six  months  did  I  pray — prayed  agonizingly  with  all 
my  heart,  and  never  had  an  answer.  I  resolved  that, 
in  the  town  where  I  lived,  I  would  visit  every  place  of 
worship  in  order  to  find  out  the  way  of  salvation.  I 
felt  I  was  willing  to  do  anything  and  be  anything  if 
God  would  only  forgive  me. 

I  set  off,  determined  to  go  round  to  all  the  chapels, 
and  I  went  to  all  the  places  of  worship ;  and  though 
I  dearly  venerate  the  men  that  occupy  those  pulpits 
now,  and  did  so  then,  I  am  bound  to  say  that  I  never, 
heard  them  once  fully  preach  the  gosoel.     1  mean  by 

(34) 


CONVERSION   AND   EARLY    PREACHING.  35 

that,  they  preached  truth,  great  truths,  many  good 
truths  that  were  fitting  to  many  of  their  congregation 
— spiritually-minded  people ;  but  what  I  wanted  to 
know  was,  How  can  I  get  my  sins  forgiven  ?  And 
they  never  once  told  me  that.  I  wanted  to  hear  how 
a  poor  sinner,  under  a  sense  of  sin,  might  find  peace 
with  God ;  and  when  I  went  I  heard  a  sermon  on  '*  Be 
/not  deceived :  God  is  not  mocked,"  which  cut  me  up 
worse,  but  did  not  say  how  I  might  escape. 

Earnestly  Seeking-. 

I  went  again  another  day,  and  the  text  was  some- 
thinof  about  the  o^lories  of  the  risfhteous  :  nothinor  for 
poor  me.  I  was  something  like  a  dog  under  the  table, 
not  allowed  to  eat  of  the  children's  food.  I  went 
time  after  time,  and  I  can  honestly  say,  I  don't  know 
that  I  ever  went  without  prayer  to  God,  and  I  am  sure 
there  was  not  a  more  attentive  hearer  in  all  the  place 
than  myself,  for  I  panted  and  longed  to  understand 
how  I  mio^ht  be  saved. 

At  last,  one  snowy  day — it  snowed  so  much,  I  could 
not  go  to  the  place  I  had  determined  to  go  to,  and  I 
was  obliged  to  stop  on  the  road,  and  it  was  a  blessed 
stop  to  me — I  found  rather  an  obscure  street,  and 
turned  down  a  court,  and  there  was  a  little  chapel.  1 
wanted  to  go  somewhere,  but  I  did  not  know  this 
place.  It  was  the  Primitive  Methodists'  chapel.  I  had 
heard  of  these  people  from  many,  and  how  they  sang  so 
loudly  that  they  made  people's  heads  ache ;  but  that 
did  not  matter.  I  wanted  to  know  how  I  mio^ht  be 
saved,  and  if  they  made  my  head  ache  ever  so  much 


36  REV.    CHARLES  H.    SPURGEON. 

I  did  not  care.  So,  sitting  down,  the  service  went  on, 
but  no  minister  came.  At  last  a  very  thin-looking 
man  came  into  the  pulpit  and  opened  his  Bible  and 
read  these  words:  "Look  unto  Me,  and  be  ye  saved, 
all  the  ends  of  the  earth."  Just  setting  his  eyes  upon 
me,  as  if  heknew  me  all  by  heart,  he  said:  "Young 
man,  you  are  in  trouble."  Well,  I  was,  sure  enough. 
Says  he,  "  You  will  never  get  out  of  it  unless  you  look 
to  Christ." 

"It  is  Only  Look." 
And  then,  lifting  up  his  hands,  he  cried  out,  as  only, 
I  think,  a  Primitive  Methodist  could  do,  "  Look,  look, 
look  !  It  is  only  look  !  "  said  he.  I  saw  at  once  the 
way  of  salvation.  Oh,  how  I  did  leap  for  joy  at  that 
moment !  I  know  not  what  else  he  said :  I  did  not 
take  much  notice  of  it — I  was  so  possessed  with  that 
one  thought.  Like  as  when  the  brazen  serpent  was 
lifted  up,  they  only  looked  and  were  healed.  I  had 
been  waiting  to  do  fifty  things,  but  when  I  heard  this 
word  "  Look !  "  what  a  charming  word  it  seemed  to 
me.  Oh,  I  looked  until  I  could  almost  have  looked 
my  eyes  away !  and  in  heaven  I  will  look  on  still  in 
my  joy  unutterable. 

I  now  think  I  am  bound  never  to  preach  a  sermon 
without  preaching  to  sinners.  I  do  think  that  a 
minister  who  can  preach  a  sermon  without  addressing 
sinners  does  not  know  how  to  preach. 

Preaching  in  the  Old  Place. 

On  Oct.  II,  1864,  the  pastor  of  the  Metropolitan 
Tabernacle  preached  a  sermon  to  five  hundred  hearers 


CONVERSION    AND   EARLY    PREACHING.  37 

in  the  chapel  at  Colchester  (in  which  he  was  con- 
verted), on  the  occasion  of  the  anniversary  in  that 
place  of  worship.  He  took  for  his  text  the  memorable 
words,  Isaiah  xlv.  22,  "Look  unto  Me,  and  be  ye 
saved,"  etc.,  and  the  preacher  said,  "That  I  heard 
preached  from  in  this  chapel  when  the  Lord  converted 
me."  And  pointing  to  a  seat  on  the  left  hand,  under 
the  gallery,  he  said  :  "/  was  sittifig  in  that  pew  when 
I  was  converted^  This  honest  confession  produced  a 
thrilling  effect  upon  the  congregation,  and  very  much 
endeared  the  successful  pastor  to  many  hearts. 

Best  of  All  Days. 

Of  his  conversion  Mr.  Spurgeon  spoke  on  every  fit- 
ting opportunity,  hoping  thereby  to  benefit  others.  As 
an  example  of  the  advantage  which  he  takes,  under 
the  title  of  "A  Bit  for  Boys,"  he  says,  in  "The  Sword 
and  the  Trowel :  "  "  When  I  was  just  fifteen,  I  believed 
in  the  Lord  Jesus,  was  baptized,  and  joined  the  church 
of  Christ.  This  is  twenty-five  years  ago  now,  and  1 
have  never  been  sorry  for  what  I  then  did ;  no,  not 
even  once.  I  have  had  plenty  of  time  to  think  it  over, 
and  many  temptations  to  try  some  other  course,  and 
if  I  had  found  out  that  I  had  been  deceived,  or  had 
made  a  gross  blunder,  I  would  have  made  a  change 
before  now,  and  would  do  my  best  to  prevent  others 
from  falling  into  the  same  delusion. 

"I  tell  you,  boys,  the  day  I  gave  myself  up  to  the 
Lord  Jesus,  to  be  His  servant,  was  the  very  best  day 
of  my  life.  Then  I  began  to  be  safe  and  happy ; 
then  I  found  out  the  secret  of  living;    and   had   a 


38  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

worthy  object  for  my  life's  exertions  and  an  unfailing 
comfort  for  life's  troubles.  Because  I  would  wish 
every  boy  to  have  a  bright  eye,  a  light  tread,  a  joyful 
heart,  and  overflowing  spirits,  I  plead  with  him  to  con- 
sider whether  he  will  not  follow  my  example,  for  I 
speak  from  experience." 

Dawn  of  a  New  Life. 

Early  in  the  month  of  January,  1856,  Mr.  Spurgeon 
preached  a  sermon  to  his  own  congregation  on  Sun- 
day morning,  which  is  entitled  "  Sovereignty  and 
Salvation."     In  that  sermon  he  says  : 

"  Six  years  ago  to-day,  as  near  as  possible  at  this 
very  hour  of  the  day,  I  was  '  in  the  gall  of  bitterness 
and  in  the  bonds  of  iniquity,'  but  had  yet,  by  divine 
grace,  been  led  to  feel  the  bitterness  of  that  bondage, 
and  to  cry  out  by  reason  of  the  soreness  of  its  slavery. 
Seeking  rest  and  finding  none,  I  stepped  within  the 
house  of  God,  and  sat  there,  afraid  to  look  upward, 
lest  I  should  be  utterly  cut  off,  and  lest  his  fierce 
wrath  should  consume  me.  The  minister  rose  in  his 
pulpit,  and,  as  I  have  done  this  morning,  read  this 
text:  'Look  unto  Me,  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends 
of  the  earth ;  for  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none 
else.' 

"I  looked  that  moment;  the  grace  of  faith  was 
vouchsafed  to  me  in  that  instant ;  and 

"  •  Ere  since  by  faith  I  saw  the  stream 
His  flowing  wounds  supply 
Redeeming  love  has  been  my  theme. 
And  shall  be  till  I  die.' 


CONVERSION    AND   EARLY    PREACHING.  39 

T  shall  never  forget  that  day  while  memory  holds  its 
place  ;  nor  can  I  help  repeating  this  text  whenever  I 
remember  that  hour  when  first  I  knew  the  Lord. 
How  strangely  gracious !  How  wonderfully  and 
marvellously  kind,  that  he  who  heard  these  words  so 
little  time  ago,  for  his  own  soul's  profit,  should  now  ad- 
dress you  this  morning  as  his  hearers  from  the  same 
text,  in  the  full  and  confident  hope  that  some  poor 
sinner  within  these  walls  may  hear  the  glad  tidings 
of  salvation  for  himself  also,  and  may  to-day  be 
'turned  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power 
of  Satan  unto  God  ! '  " 

A  Public  Profession. 

All  the  tetters  he  sent  home  at  that  period  were  full 
of  the  overflowings  of  a  grateful  heart ;  and,  although 
so  young  in  years,  he  describes  the  operations  of 
divine  grace  on  the  heart  and  life,  and  the  differences 
between  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  and  the  forms 
of  the  church,  in  terms  so  precise  and  clear,  that  no 
merely  human  teaching  could  have  enabled  him  so  to 
do. 

Brought  up,  as  he  had  been,  among  the  Indepen- 
dents, his  own  views  on  one  point  of  church  ordi- 
nances now  assumed  a  form  differing  materially  from 
what  his  parents  had  adopted.  Having  experienced 
a  change  of  heart,  he  felt  it  to  be  laid  upon  him  as  an 
imperative  duty  to  make  a  full  and  public  confession 
of  the  change  by  public  baptism. 

He  had  united  himself  formally  wath  the  Baptist 
people  the  year  before ;  now  he  felt  constrained  to 


40  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

fully  cast  in  his  lot  and  become  one  of  them  entirely. 
He  wrote  many  letters  home  to  his  father,  asking  for 
advice  and  information,  but  striving  to  enforce  his 
own  conviction  for  making  a  public  profession  of  his 
faith  in  Christ.  At  length  the  father  was  satisfied 
that  his  son  had  no  faith  in  the  dogma  of  baptismal 
regeneration ;  that  his  motives  for  seeking  to  be 
publicly  recognized  as  a  follower  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
were  higher  than  those  he  had  feared ;  therefore  no 
further  opposition  was  made,  and  the  necessary  steps 
were  taken  for  his  immersion. 

All  the  arrangements  having  been  made,  the  young 
convert  walked  from  Newmarket  to  Isleham,  seven 
miles,  on  May  2d,  and  staying  with  the  family  of  Mr. 
Cantlow,  the  Baptist  minister  there,  he  was  by  that 
gentleman  publicly  baptized  in  that  village  on  Friday, 
May  3,  1 85 1,  being  in  his  sixteenth  year.  He  thus 
proceeds  in  his  letter  to  his  father :  "  It  is  very  pleas- 
ing to  me  that  the  day  on  which  I  shall  openly  profess 
the  name  of  Jesus  is  my  mother's  birthday.  May  it 
be  to  both  of  us  a  foretaste  of  many  glorious  and 
happy  days  yet  to  come." 

School  Duties  and  Mission  Work. 

Having  thus  publicly  devoted  himself  to  the  service 
of  God,  he  was  more  earnest  than  ever  in  his  efforts 
to  do  orood.  Besides  havinof  himself  revived  an  old 
society  for  distributing  tracts,  he  undertook  to  carry 
out  this  good  work  in  Newmarket  thoroughly.  When- 
ever he  walked  out  he  carried  these  messengers  of 
mercy  with  him;  he  was  instant  in  season,  and,  indeed, 


REV.  JOHN    Si'URGEON,    FATHER   OF   C.  H.  SPURGEON. 


CONVERSION   AND   EARLY   PREACHING.  41 

was  seldom  out  of  season,  in  his  efforts  to  do  good 
His  duties  in  school  occupied  him  three  hours  daily,  the 
remainder  of  his  time  being  spent  in  his  closet  or  in 
some  work  of  mercy.  The  Sunday-school  very  soon 
gained  his  attention,  and  his  addresses  to  the  children 
were  so  full  of  love  and  instruction  that  the  children 
carried  the  good  tidings  home  to  their  parents  ;  and 
soon  they  came  to  hear  the  addresses  in  the  vestry 
of  the  Independent  chapel  in  that  town.  The  place 
was  soon  filled. 

The  Boy  Preacher. 

At  one  of  the  examinations  of  the  school  he  had 
consented  to  deliver  an  oration  on  missions.  It  was  a 
public  occasion,  and  in  the  company  was  a  clergyman. 
During  the  examination  the  clergyman  heard  of  the 
death  of  his  gardener,  and  suddenly  left  for  home. 
But  on  his  way  he  thus  reasoned  with  himself:  The 
gardener  is  dead  ;  I  cannot  restore  his  life  ;  I  will  return 
and  hear  what  the  young  usher  has  to  say  on  missions. 
He  returned,  heard  the  oration,  and  was  pleased  to 
show  his  approval  by  presenting  Mr.  Spurgeon  with 
a  sovereign. 

Having  at  once  identified  himself  as  a  membei  of 
tlie  Baptist  church  in  Cambridge  he  soon  found  occupa- 
tion suitable  to  his  mind.  His  addresses  to  children, 
and  afterwards  to  parents  and  children,  had  produced 
a  love  of  the  work,  and  he  soon  was  called  to  exhort 
a  village  congregation.  He  was  then  sixteen  years 
old.  Connected  with  the  Baptist  church  meeting  in 
St.  Andrew's  street,  Cambridge,  formerly  under  the 


42  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

pastoral  care  of  the  late  learned  Robert  Hall,  there 
existed  a  society  entitled  "  The  Lay  Preachers'  Asso- 
ciation." Although  so  young  in  years,  Mr.  Spurgeon 
was  accepted  as  a  member  of  this  association.  Here 
he  at  once  found  the  occupation  which  his  mind  most 
desired ;  and  he  was  soon  appointed  to  address  a 
congregation. 

As  this  was  one  of  the  most  important  steps  in  Mr. 
Spurgeon's  life,  the  reader  will  be  glad  to  learn  from 
his  own  pen  the  circumstances  which  led  to  his  first 
attempted  sermon.  In  introducing  the  text,  "  Unto 
you  therefore  which  believe.  He  is  precious,"  i  Peter 
ii.  7,  Mr.  Spurgeon  remarks,  in  1873:  "I  remember 
well  that,  more  than  twenty-two  years  ago,  the  first 
attempted  sermon  that  I  ever  made  was  from  this 
text. 

First  Sermon. 

"  I  had  been  asked  to  walk  out  to  the  village  of 
Taversham,  about  four  miles  from  Cambridge,  where 
I  then  lived,  to  accompany  a  young  man  whom  I  sup- 
posed to  be  the  preacher  for  the  evening,  and  on  the 
way  I  said  to  him  that  I  trusted  God  would  bless  him 
in  his  labors.  '  Oh,  dear,'  said  he,  *  I  never  preached 
in  my  life ;  I  never  thought  of  doing  such  a  thing. 
I  was  asked  to  walk  with  you,  and  I  sincerely  hope 
God  will  bless  you  in  your  preaching.'  *  Nay,'  said  I, 
'but  I  never  preached,  and  I  don't  know  that  I  could 
do  anything  of  the  sort'  We  walked  together  till  we 
came  to  the  place,  my  inmost  soul  being  all  in  a 
trouble  as  to  what  would  happen.     When  we  found 


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(48) 


44  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

the  congregation  assembled,  and  no  one  else  there  to 
speak  of  Jesus,  though  I  was  only  sixteen  years  of 
age,  as  I  found  that  I  was  expected  to  preach,  I  did 
preach,  and  the  text  was  that  just  given." 

Considering  the  results  which  have  followed  that 
sermon,  it  will  be  interesting  to  glance  at  some  of  the 
incidents  belonging  to  that  early  period  of  his  ministry. 

Early  Promise. 

In  the  summer  of  1875,  from  inquiries  made  in  the 
locality,  a  correspondent  of  the  "Baptist"  newspaper 
reports  as  follows : 

"A  gentleman  informed  me  that  he  heard  Mr. 
Spurgeon  preach  his  first  sermon  when  about  sixteen 
years  of  age ;  and  he  then  read,  prayed,  and  ex- 
pounded the  Word,  being  attired  in  a  round  jacket 
and  broad  turn-down  collar,  such  as  I  remember  to 
have  been  in  fashion  at  that  period. 

"  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  then  living  near  Cambridge,  and 
his  mode  of  preaching  afforded  promise  that  he  would 
become  a  powerful  and  popular  preacher. 

"  Mr.  C,  the  schoolmaster  of  the  village  in  1850, 
was  impressed  with  the  precocious  talent  of  the 
young  preacher,  and  his  style  of  preaching." 

Having  once  entered  on  this  most  solemn  duty,  and 
finding  acceptance  with  the  people,  he  laid  himself 
out  for  one  service  every  evening,  after  attending  to 
his  duties  in  school  during  the  day. 

From  an  aged  and  experienced  Christian,  who 
heard  Mr.  Spurgeon  preach  before  his  call  to  London, 
we  learn  that  his  addresses  were  very  instructive,  and 


CONVERSION   AND   EARLY   PREACHING.  45 

often  included  illustrations  derived  from  history, 
geography,  astronomy,  and  from  other  branches  of 
school  occupation,  evidently  adapted  from  his  daily 
duties,  and  thus  made  to  serve  as  instruments  in 
religion,  as  well  as  in  training  and  informing  the 
mind. 

His  early  ministry  was  not  only  gratuitous,  but  often 
attended  with  demands  on  his  small  salary,  which  he 
willingly  gave  to  God — not  to  be  seen  of  men,  did  he 
help  the  needy. 

In  Cottages  and  the  Open  Air. 

In  some  of  the  thirteen  village  stations  around 
Cambridge  and  Waterbeach,  to  which  Mr.  Spurgeon 
devoted  all  his  evenings,  the  preaching  was  held,  in 
a  cottage,  in  others  a  chapel,  and  occasionally  the 
open  common  could  furnish  the  accommodation  re- 
quired. At  the  village  of  Waterbeach,  Mr.  Spurgeon 
was  received  in  a  marked  manner  of  approval.  In 
most  of  the  places  in  which  he  had  preached  the  effect 
was  very  much  alike,  in  the  large  numbers  attracted 
to  hear  the  Word  of  God,  and  in  the  success  which 
God  was  pleased  to  bestow  on  his  labors. 

Even  at  that  early  period  of  his  ministerial  career, 
invitations  to  preach  special  sermons  in  towns  and 
villages  at  a  distance  soon  rapidly  increased.  At 
Waterbeach,  however,  the  little  church  saw  in  the 
young  man  a  suitability  to  their  wants,  and  they  gave 
him  an  invitation  to  become  their  pastor.  He  was 
well  received  by  the  people,  and  soon  became  quite 
popular.     During   the  few  months  of  his  pastorate 


iR  KEV.    CHARLES   H.    SPtJRGEON. 

there,  the  church  members  were  increased  from  forty 
to  nearly  one  hundred. 

Pastorate  at  Waterbeacli. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  has  himself  supplied  an  interesting 
reminiscence  of  his  ministry  at  that  village,  which  is 
worth  preserving : 

"  When  we  had  just  commenced  our  youthful  pas- 
torate at  Waterbeach,  in  1852,  Cornelius  Elven,  as  a 
man  of  mark  in  that  region,  was  requested  to 
preach  the  anniversary  sermons  in  our  little  thatched 
meeting-house,  and  right  well  we  remember  his  hearty 
compliance  with  our  desire.  We  met  at  the  station 
as  he  alighted  from  a  third-class  carriao^e  which  he 
had  chosen  in  order  to  put  the  friends  to  the  least 
possible  expense  for  his  travelling.  His  bulk  was 
stupendous,  and  one  soon  saw  that  his  heart  was  as 
large  in  proportion  as  his  body. 

"  He  gave  us  much  sage  and  holy  advice  during  the 
visit,  which  came  to  us  with  much  the  same  weio^ht  as 
Paul's  words  came  to  Timothy.  He  bade  us  study 
hard,  and  keep  abreast  of  the  foremost  Christians  in 
our  litde  church,  adding  as  a  reason,  that  if  these  men, 
either  in  their  knowledge  of  Scripture  or  their  power 
to  edify  the  people,  once  outstrip  you,  the  temptation 
will  arise  among  them  to  be  dissatisfied  with  your 
ministry ;  and,  however  good  they  are,  they  will  feel 
their  superiority,  and  others  will  perceive  it  too,  and 
then  your  place  in  the  church  will  become  very  difficult 
to  hold.  His  sermons  were  very  homely,  and  pre- 
eminently practical.     He  told  anecdotes  of  the  use- 


CONVERSION  AND  EARLY  PREACHING.       47 

fulness  of  addressing  individuals  one  by  one  about 

their  souls." 

Not  Spoiled  by  Colleges. 

It  has  been  remarked  a  hundred  times,  by  those 
not  well  informed  on  the  matter,  that  Mr.  Spurgeon 
was  an  uneducated  man,  and  had  no  college  instruc- 
tion. The  experience  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  has 
demonstrated  how  erroneous  were  these  remarks. 
Is  there  in  England  a  man  of  education  who  has 
done  more  for  the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
by  the  publication  of  numerous  valuable  theological 
and  instructive  books  than  Mr.  Spurgeon  ?  Let  the 
list  of  his  works  determine. 

On  the  question  of  not  going  to  college  there  is 
also  some  misconception.  The  exact  facts  are  worthy 
of  being  placed  on  record.  Mr.  Spurgeon  has  him- 
self so  clearly  stated  the  case  in  an  article  he  wrote 
some  time  ago  in  his  own  magazine,  that  the  reader 
will  be  glad  to  see  it  here;  it  is  curious  and  interest- 
ing: 

"Soon  after  I  had  begun,  in  1852,  to  preach  the 
Word  in  Waterbeach,  I  was  strongly  advised  by  my 
father  and  others  to  enter  Stepney,  now  Regent's 
Park  College,  to  prepare  more  fully  for  the  ministry. 
Knowing  that  learning  is  never  an  incumbrance  and 
is  often  a  great  means  of  usefulness,  I  felt  inclined  to 
avail  myself  of  the  opportunity  of  attaining  it;  although 
I  believed  I  might  be  useful  without  a  college  training, 
I  consented  to  the  opinion  of  friends,  that  I  should  be 
more  useful  with  it. 


48  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

An  Appointment  not  Kept. 

"  Dr.  Angus,  the  tutor  of  the  college,  visited  Cam- 
bridge, where  I  then  resided,  and  it  was  arranged  that 
we  should  meet  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Macmillan,  the 
publisher.  Thinking  and  praying  over  the  matter,  I 
entered  the  house  at  exactly  the  time  appointed,  and 
was  shown  into  a  room,  where  I  waited  patiently  for  a 
couple  of  hours,  feeling  too  much  impressed  with  my 
own  insignificance  and  the  greatness  of  the  tutor  from 
London  to  venture  to  ring  the  bell  and  inquire  the 
cause  of  the  unreasonably  long  delay. 

"At  last,  patience  having  had  her  perfect  work,  the 
bell  was  set  in  motion,  and  on  the  arrival  of  the 
servant,  the  waiting  young  man  of  eighteen  was  in- 
formed that  the  doctor  had  tarried  in  another  room, 
and  could  stay  no  longer,  so  had  gone  off  by  train  to 
London.  The  stupid  girl  had  given  no  information 
to  the  family  that  any  one  called  and  had  been  shown 
into  the  drawing-room,  consequently  the  meeting 
never  came  about,  although  designed  by  both  parties. 
I  was  not  a  little  disappointed  at  the  moment;  but 
have  a  thousand  times  since  then  thanked  the  Lord 
very  heartily  for  the  strange  providence  which  forced 
my  steps  into  another  and  far  better  path. 
Strange  Impressions. 

"  Still  holding  to  the  idea  of  entering  the  Collegiate 
Institution,  I  thought  of  writing  and  making  an 
immediate  application  ;  but  this  was  not  to  be.  That 
afternoon,  having  to  preach  at  a  village  station,  I 
walked  slowly  in  a  meditating  frame  of  mind  over 


CONVERSION   AND   EARLY   PREACHING.  49 

Midsummer  Common  to  the  little  wooden  bridge 
which  leads  to  Chesterton,  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
common  I  was  starded  by  what  seemed  to  me  to  be  a 
loud  voice,  but  which  may  have  been  a  singular  illu- 
sion :  whichever  it  was,  the  impression  it  made  on  my 
mind  was  most  vivid  ;  I  seemed  very  distinctly  to  hear 
the  words,  *  Seekest  thou  great  things  for  thyself,  seek 
them  not ! ' 

"  This  led  me  to  look  at  my  position  from  a  different 
point  of  view,  and  to  challenge  my  motives  and  inten- 
tions. I  remembered  my  poor  but  loving  people  to 
whom  I  ministered,  and  the  souls  which  had  been 
given  me  in  my  humble  charge ;  and  although  at  that 
time  I  anticipated  obscurity  and  poverty  as  the  result 
of  the  resolve,  yet  I  did  there  and  then  renounce  the 
offer  of  collegiate  instruction,  determining  to  abide  for 
a  season,  at  least,  with  my  people,  and  to  remain 
preaching  the  Word  so  long  as  I  had  strength  to  do 
it.  Had  it  not  been  for  those  words,  I  had  not  been 
where  I  am  now.  Although  the  ephod  is  no  longer 
worn  by  a  ministering  priest,  the  Lord  guides  His 
people  by  His  wisdom,  and  orders  all  their  paths  in 
love ;  and  in  times  of  perplexity,  by  ways  mysterious 
and  remarkable.  He  says  to  them  :  '  This  is  the  way ; 
walk  ye  in  it.'  " 

The  Tummg-  Point. 

One  or  two  extracts  from  his  letters,  written  at  the 
same  time,  it  is  desirable  to  give  to  show  how  anx- 
iously the  matter  was  considered.  In  his  reply  to  his 
father,  dated  March  9,  1852,  Mr.  Spurgeon  writes:  "I 


60  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

have  all  alonor  had  an  aversion  to  college,  and  nothinof 
but  a  feeling  that  I  must  not  consult  myself,  but  Jesus, 
could  have  made  me  think  of  it.  It  appears  to  my 
friends  at  Cambridge,  that  it  is  my  duty  to  remain 
with  my  dear  people  at  Waterbeach ;  so  say  the 
church  there  unanimously,  and  so  say  three  of  our 
deacons  at  Cambridge." 

During  the  summer  his  decision  was  taken,  in  the 
way  previously  related  ;  and  in  a  letter  he  sent  to  his 
mother  in  November  following,  he  says :  "  I  am  more 
and  more  elad  that  I  never  went  to  collegfe.  God 
sends  such  sunshine  on  my  path,  such  smiles  of  grace, 
that  I  cannot  regret  if  I  have  forfeited  all  my  pros- 
pects for  it.  I  am  conscious  I  held  back  from  love  to 
God  and  His  cause ;  and  I  had  rather  be  poor  in  His 
service  than  rich  in  my  own.  I  have  all  that  heart  can 
wish  for ;  yea,  God  giveth  more  than  my  desire.  My 
conCTreoration  is  as  great  and  lovingf  as  ever.  Durino- 
all  the  time  I  have  been  at  Waterbeach,  I  have  had  a 
different  house  for  my  home  every-  day.  Fifty-two 
families  have  thus  taken  me  in ;  and  I  have  still  six 
other  invitations  not  yet  accepted.  Talk  about  the 
people  not  caring  for  me  because  they  give  me  so 
little !  I  dare  tell  anybody  under  heaven  'tis  false  ! 
They  do  all  they  can.  Our  anniversary  passed  off 
grandly ;  six  were  baptized ;  crowds  on  crowds  stood 
by  the  river ;  the  chapel  afterwards  was  crammed  both 
to  the  tea  and  the  sermon." 

By  these  and  other  exercises  of  mind,    God  was 


CONVERSION   AND   EARLY    PREACHING.  5^ 

preparing  his  young  servant  for  greater  plans  of  use- 
fulness and  a  wider  sphere  of  action. 

The  following  stanzas  were  written  by  Mr  Spur- 
geon,  at  the  age  of  eighteen : 

IMMANUEL. 

When  once  I  mourned  a  load  of  sin ; 
When  conscience  felt  a  wound  within  j 
When  all  my  works  were  thrown  away ; 
When  on  my  knees  I  knelt  to  pray, 

Then,  blissful  hour,  remembered  well, 

I  learned  Thy  love,  Immanuel. 

When  storms  of  sorrow  toss  my  soul ; 
When  waves  of  care  around  me  roll ; 
When  comforts  sink,  when  joys  shall  flee; 
When  hopeless  griefs  shall  gape  for  me. 

One  word  the  tempest's  rage  shall  quell — 

That  word.  Thy  name,  Immanuel. 

When  for  the  truth  I  suffer  shame ; 
When  foes  pour  scandal  on  my  name ; 
When  cruel  taunts  and  jeers  abound ; 
When  "  Bulls  of  Bashan  "  gird  me  round, 

Secure  within  Thy  tower  I'll  dwell — 

That  tower.  Thy  grace,  Immanuel. 

When  hell  enraged  lifts  up  her  roar  j 
When  Satan  stops  my  path  before; 
When  fiends  rejoice  and  wait  my  end| 
When  legioned  hosts  their  arrows  send, 

Fear  not,  my  soul,  but  hurl  at  hell 

Thy  battle-cry,  Immanuel. 

When  down  the  hill  of  life  I  go ; 
When  o'er  my  feet  death's  waters  flow. 
When  in  the  deep'ning  flood  I  sink  ; 
When  friends  stand  weeping  on  the  brink, 

I'll  mingle  with  my  last  farewell 

Thy  lovely  name,  Immanuel. 


52  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

When  tears  are  banished  from  mine  eye ; 

When  fairer  worlds  than  these  are  nigh ; 

When  heaven  shall  fill  my  ravished  sight; 

When  I  shall  balhe  in  sweet  delight, 
One  joy  all  joys  shall  far  excel. 
To  see  Thy  face,  Immanuel. 


C  H.   SPURGEON  AT  THE  AGE  OF  TWENTY-ONE. 

(53) 


CHAPTER   III. 
The  Young  Preacher  in  London.  * 

Speech  at  Cambridge. — Invitation  to  London. — Willing  Hearers. — Interesting 
Letters  to  New  Park  Street  Church. — Visitation  of  Cholera. — Labors  among 
the  Dying. — Publication  of  Sermons. — Eagerness  of  the  Public  to  Obtain  the 
Printed  Discourses. — Description  of  the  Youthful  Preacher. — Thronging 
Crowds. — Birthday  Sermon. — Preaching  in  Scotland. — Good  News  from 
Printed  Sermons. — Reports  of  Many  Conversions. 

The  anniversary  meeting  of  the  Cambridge  Union 
of  Sunday-schools  in  1853  was  held  at  Cambridge,  on 
which  occasion  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  called  upon  to 
speak.  The  part  he  took  was  of  remarkable  signifi- 
cance. There  was  nothingf  In  his  manner  or  his  re- 
marks  which  was  cpecially  attractive  to  his  audience  ; 
but  there  was  an  unseen  agency  at  work  with  the 
speaker  as  well  as  In  the  audience.  There  was  pres- 
ent at  that  meeting  a  gentleman  from  Essex,  on 
whose  mind  the  address  dehvered  by  Mr.  Spurgeon 
made  a  lasting  impression. 

Shortly  afterwards  he  met  In  London  with  one  of  the 
deacons  of  the  Baptist  church  of  New  Park  Street, 
Southwark,  a  church  which  had  once  flourished  like 
the  ancient  cedars  of  Lebanon,  but  which  was  then  so 
far  shorn  of  its  former  glory  as  to  give  cause  of 
serious  consideration.  Anxiously  did  the  thoughtful 
deacon  tell  his  tale  of  a  scattered  church  and  a  dimin- 

(54) 


THE  YOUNG  PREACHER  IN  LONDON.       55 

ished  congregation.  Fresh  upon  the  mind  of  his 
hearer  was  the  effect  of  the  speech  of  the  young  min- 
ister at  Cambridge,  and  he  ventured  to  speak  of  the 
youthful  evangelist  of  Waterbeach  as  a  minister  likely 
to  be  the  means  of  revivino-  interest  in  the  declinine 
church  at  New  Park  Street.  The  two  friends  sepa- 
rated, the  deacon  not  much  impressed  with  what  he 
had  heard ;  and  things  grew  worse. 

Invited  to  London. 

But  finally  a  correspondence  was  commenced  be- 
tween Deacon  James  Low  and  Mr.  Spurgeon,  which 
soon  resulted  in  the  latter  receiving  an  invitation  to 
come  to  London  and  preach  before  them  in  their  large 
chapel.  The  work  was  altogether  of  God,  man  only 
made  the  arrangements.  The  motto  of  Julius  Csesar 
maybe  modified  to  express  the  results  of  the  visit: 
Mr.  Spurgeon  came ;  he  preached  ;  he  conquered. 

For  some  months  the  pulpit  had  been  vacant,  the 
pews  forsaken,  the  aisles  desolate,  and  the  exchequer 
empty.  Decay  had  set  in  so  seriously  that  the  deacons 
lost  heart,  and,  until  Mr.  Spurgeon  arrived,  the  cause 
seemed  hopeless.  In  the  autumn  of  1853  he  first  oc- 
cupied New  Park-street  pulpit.  The  chapel,  capable 
of  holding  twelve  hundred  people,  had  about  two 
hundred  occupants  at  the  first  service.  The  preacher 
was  a  young  man  who  had  just  passed  his  nineteenth 
year.  In  his  sermon  he  spoke  with  the  freedom  and 
boldness  which  evinced  that  he  believed  what  he 
preached,  and  believed  that  his  message  was  from 
God.     Some  were  disappointed ;   others  resolved  to 


56  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPtEGEON. 

oppose,  and  did  oppose ;  but  by  far  the  greater  pro- 
portion were  disposed  to  hear  him  again. 

Instant  Success. 

The  result  of  the  first  sermon  was  proved,  In  a  few 
hours,  to  have  been  a  success.  The  evening  congre- 
gation was  greatly  increased,  partly  from  curiosity, 
pardy  from  the  youth  of  the  preacher  and  his  unusual 
style  of  address.  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  again  invited  to 
take  the  pulpit  on  another  Sunday  as  early  as  possible, 
for  a  feeling  of  excitement  was  created,  and  it  re- 
quired to  be  satisfied.  After  consulting  with  his 
church  at  Waterbeach,  he  arranged  to  supply  the  New 
Park-street  pulpit  during  three  alternate  Lord's  days. 
The  desire  to  hear  the  young  preacher  having  greatly 
extended,  it  was  determined  to  invite  Mr.  Spurgeon 
from  his  rustic  retreat  to  undertake  the  heavy  respon- 
sibility of  pastor  of  one  of  the  most  ancient  Baptist 
churches  in  London,  and  formerly  the  most  influential ; 
and  he  entered  on  that  duty  In  the  month  of  April, 

1854. 

We  are  permitted  to  give  two  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's 
letters  to  the  church  at  the  time  of  his  appointment, 
which  will  most  clearly  state  the  facts  relating  to  his 
coming-  to  London.  The  first  of  the  followinor  letters 
was  written  to  Deacon  Low  shortly  before  Mr.  Spur- 
ofeon  left  Cambridpfe,  and  the  second  Is  dated  from  his 
first  lodgings  immediately  after  his  permanent  arrival 
In  London.  It  will  be  seen  that  these  letters  exhibit 
a  wisdom  and  maturity  scarcely  to  be  expected  from 
a  youth  of  twenty. 


THE  YOUNG  PREACHER  IN  LONDON.        57 

No.  60  Park  Street,  Cambridge,  Jan.  27,  1854. 

To  James  Low,  Esq. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  cannot  help  feeling  intense  grati- 
fication at  the  unanimity  of  the  church  at  New  Park 
Street  in  relation  to  their  invitation  to  me.  Had  I 
been  uncomfortable  in  my  present  situation,  I  should 
have  felt  unmixed  pleasure  at  the  prospect  Providence 
seems  to  open  up  before  me  ;  but  having  a  devoted 
and  loving  people,  I  feel  I  know  not  how. 

One  thing  I  know,  namely,  that  I  must  soon  be 
severed  from  them  by  necessity,  for  they  do  not  raise 
sufficient  to  maintain  me  in  comfort.  Had  they  done 
so  I  should  have  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  any  request  to 
leave  them,  at  least  for  the  present.  But  now  my 
Heavenly  Father  drives  me  forth  from  this  little  Gar- 
den of  Eden,  and  while  I  see  that  I  must  go  out,  I 
leave  it  with  reluctance,  and  tremble  to  tread  the  un- 
known land  before  me. 

When  I  first  ventured  to  preach  at  Waterbeach,  I 
only  accepted  an  invitation  for  three  months,  on  the 
condition  that  if  in  that  time  I  should  see  good  reasons 
for  leaving,  or  they  on  their  part  should  wish  for  it,  I 
should  be  at  liberty  to  cease  supplying,  or  they  should 
have  the  same  power  to  request  me  to  do  so  before 
the  expiration  of  the  time. 

With  regard  to  a  six  months'  invitation  from  you,  I 
have  no  objection  to  the  length  of  time,  but  ratlier  ap- 
prove of  the  prudence  of  the  church  in  wishing  to 
have  one  so  young  as  myself  on  an  extended  period 
of  approbation.     But  I  write  after  well  weighing  the 


58  REV.    CHARLES  H.    SPURGEON. 

matter,  when  I  say  positively  that  I  cannot — I  dare  not 
— accept  an  unquahfied  invitation  for  so  long  a  time. 
My  objection  is  not  to  the  length  of  time  of  probation, 
but  it  ill  becomes  a  youth  to  promise  to  preach  to  a 
London  congregation  so  long,  until  he  knows  them 
and  they  know  him.  I  would  engage  to  supply  for 
three  months  of  that  time,  and  then,  should  the  con- 
gregation fail,  or  the  church  disagree,  I  would  reserve 
to  myself  liberty,  without  breach  of  engagement,  to 
retire ;  and  you  would  on  your  part  have  the  right  to 
dismiss  me  without  seeming  to  treat  me  ill  Should  I 
see  no  reason  for  so  doing,  and  the  church  still  retain 
their  wish  for  me,  I  can  remain  the  other  three  months, 
either  with  or  without  the  formality  of  a  further  invi- 
tation ;  but  even  during  the  second  three  months  I 
should  not  like  to  regard  myself  as  a  fixture,  in  case 
of  ill  success,  but  would  only  be  a  supply,  liable  to  a 
fortnio^ht's  dismissal  or  resignation. 

Perhaps  this  is  not  business  like, — I  do  not  know ; 
but  this  is  the  course  I  should  prefer,  if  it  would  be 
agreeable  to  the  church.  Enthusiasm  and  popularity 
are  often  the  crackling  of  thorns,  and  soon  expire.  I 
do  not  wish  to  be  a  hindrance  if  I  cannot  be  a  help. 

With  regard  to  coming  at  once,  I  think  I  must  not. 
My  own  deacons  just  hint  that  I  ought  to  finish  the 
quarter  here  :  though,  by  ought,  they  mean  simply, — 
pray  do  so  if  you  can.  This  would  be  too  long  a  delay. 
I  wish  to  help  them  until  they  can  get  supplies,  which 
is  only  to  be  done  with  great  difficulty ;  and,  as  I  have 
given  you  four  Sabbaths,  I  hope  you  will  allow  me  to 


THE  YOUNG  PREACHER  IN  LONDON.         59 

give  them  four  in  return.  I  would  give  them  the  first 
and  second  Sabbaths  in  February,  and  two  more  in  a 
month  or  six  weeks'  time.  I  owe  them  much  for  their 
kindness,  although  they  insist  that  the  debt  lies  on 
their  side.  Some  of  them  hope,  and  almost  pray,  that 
you  may  be  tired  in  three  months  so  that  I  may  be 
ao^ain  sent  back  to  them. 

Thus,  my  dear  sir,  I  have  honestly  poured  out  my 
heart  to  you.  You  are  too  kind.  You  will  excuse  me 
if  I  err,  for  I  wish  to  do  right  to  3^ou,  to  my  people, 
and  to  all,  as  being  not  mine  own,  but  bought  with  a 
price. 

I  respect  the  honesty  and  boldness  of  the  small 
minority,  and  only  wonder  that  the  number  was  not 
greater.  I  pray  God  that  if  He  does  not  see  fit  that 
I  should  remain  with  you,  the  majority  may  be  quite 
as  much  the  other  way  at  the  end  of  six  months,  so 
that  I  may  never  divide  you  into  parties. 

Pecuniary  matters  I  am  well  satisfied  with.  And 
now  one  thing  is  due  to  every  minister,  and  I  pray 
you  to  remind  the  church  of  it,  namely,  that  in  private, 
as  well  as  public,  they  must  all  wrestle  in  prayer  to  God 
that  I  may  be  sustained  in  the  great  work. 

I  am,  with  the  best  wishes  for  your  health,  and  the 
greatest  respect,  Yours  truly, 

C.  H.  Spurgeon. 

Call  to  Xew  Park- Street  Chapel. 

Viewed  in  the  light  of  subsequent  results,  it  will  not 
surprise  the  reader  to  learn  that  it  did  not  take  the 
church  six  months  to  determine  their  part  of  the  con- 


60  RET.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

tract.  Before  three  months  had  passed  away  "the 
small  minority  "  had  been  absorbed  into  the  majority, 
and  the  entire  church  united  in  giving  their  young 
minister,  not  yet  twenty  years  old,  an  invitation  to 
accept  the  pastorate,  both  cordial  and  unanimous. 
Mr.  Spurgeon's  second  letter  at  this  period  will  best 
explain  the  real  facts  : — 

75  Dover  Road,  Borough,  April  28, 1854. 

To  the  Baptist  Church  of  Christ  worshipping  in  New 
Park-street  Chapel,  Southivark  : 

Dearly  Beloved  in  Christ  Jesus — I  have  received 
your  unanimous  invitation,  as  contained  in  a  resolu- 
tion passed  by  you  on  the  19th  instant,  desiring  me  to 
accept  the  pastorate  among  you.  No  lengthened  reply 
is  required  ;  there  is  but  one  answer  to  so  loving  and 
cordial  an  invitation.  I  accept  it.  I  have  not  been 
perplexed  as  to  what  my  reply  shall  be,  for  many 
things  constrain  me  thus  to  answer. 

I  sought  not  to  come  to  you,  for  I  was  the  minister 
of  an  obscure  but  affectionate  people :  I  never  solicited 
advancement.  The  first  note  of  invitation  from  your 
deacons  came  to  me  quite  unlooked  for,  and  I  trem- 
bled at  the  idea  of  preaching  in  London.  I  could  not 
understand  how  it  came  about,  and  even  now  I  am 
filled  with  astonishment  at  the  wondrous  Providence 
I  would  wish  to  give  myself  into  the  hands  of  our  cov- 
enant God,  whose  wisdom  directs  all  things.  He  shall 
choose  for  me ;  and  so  far  as  I  can  judge  this  is  His 
choice. 


THE  YOUNG  PREACHER  IN  LONDON.        61 

I  feel  it  to  be  a  high  honor  to  be  a  pastor  of  a  peo- 
ple who  can  mention  glorious  names  as  my  predeces- 
sors, and  I  entreat  of  you  to  remember  me  in  prayer, 
that  I  may  realize  the  solemn  responsibility  of  my 
trust.  Remember  my  youth  and  inexperience  ;  pray 
that  these  may  not  hinder  my  usefulness.  I  trust, 
also,  that  the  remembrance  of  these  may  lead  you  to 
forgive  the  mistakes  I  may  make,  or  unguarded  words 
I  may  utter. 

Blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Most  High  !  if  He  has 
called  me  to  this  office  He  will  support  me  in  it; 
otherwise,  how  should  a  child,  a  youth,  have  the  pre- 
sumption thus  to  attempt  a  work  which  filled  the  heart 
and  hands  of  Jesus  ?  Your  kindness  to  me  has  been 
very  great,  and  my  heart  is  knit  unto  you.  I  fear  not 
your  steadfastness ;  I  fear  my  own.  The  gospel,  I 
believe,  enables  me  to  venture  great  things,  and  by 
faith  I  venture  this.  I  ask  your  co-operation  in  every 
good  work, — in  visiting  the  sick,  in  bringing  in  inquir- 
ers, and  in  mutual  edification. 

Oh,  that  I  may  be  no  injury  to  you,  but  a  lasting 
benefit !  I  have  no  more  to  say,  only  this :  that  if  I 
have  expressed  myself  in  these  few  words  in  a  manner 
unbecoming  my  youth  and  inexperience,  you  will  not 
impute  it  to  arrogance,  but  forgive  my  mistake. 

And  now,  commending  you  to  our  covenant-keeping 
God,  the  triune  Jehovah,  I  am  yours  to  serve  in  the 
gospel,  C.  H.  Spurgeon. 

Before  three  months  of  the  new  pastorate  had  ex- 


62  REV.    CHARLES    H.    SPURGEON. 

pired  the  fame  of  the  young  mhiister  had  spread  over 
the  metropoHs,  crowds  of  people  flocked  to  his  chapel 
at  every  service,  and  the  newspapers,  week  by  week 
for  some  time,  were  asking:  Who  is  this  Spurgeon? 
For  a  long  time  that  question  was  a  puzzle  to  many 
minds ;  but  one  thing  was  certain,  he  had  secured  the 
ear  and  the  attention  of  the  public,  who  waited  upon 
his  ministry  by  thousands. 

The  Black  Flag. 

The  summer  of  1854  will  long  be  remembered  for 
the  frightful  scourge  of  Asiatic  cholera  with  which  the 
great  city  was  visited.  The  black  flag  could  be  seen 
stretched  across  streets  to  warn  strangers  of  the  close 

o 

proximity  of  plague-stricken  dwellings. 

On  all  sides  there  was  anxious  foreboding,  sorrow, 
or  bereavement.  The  young  pastor's  services  were 
eagerly  sought  for,  his  time  and  strength  taxed  to 
their  utmost ;  but  he  discharged  the  duties  of  the 
emergency  with  a  true  and  manly  courage,  A  para- 
graph from  his  **  Treasury  of  David,"  on  Psalm  xci., 
most  graphically  describes  this  trying  period : 

"In  the  year  1854,  when  I  had  scarcely  been  in 
London  twelve  months,  the  neighborhood  in  which  I 
labored  was  visited  by  Asiatic  cholera,  and  my  congre- 
gation suffered  from  its  inroads.  Family  after  family 
summoned  me  to  the  bedsides  of  the  smitten,  and 
almost  every  day  I  was  called  to  visit  the  grave.  I 
gave  myself  up  with  youthful  ardor  to  the  visitation 
of  the  sick,  and  was  sent  for  from  all  corners  of  the 
district  by  persons  of  all  ranks  and  religions.     I  be- 


THE  YOUNG  PREACHER  IN  LONDON.        63 

came  weary  in  body  and  sick  at  heart.  My  friends 
seemed  falling  one  by  one,  and  I  felt  or  fancied  that  I 
was  sickeninor  like  those  around  me.     A  little  more 

o 

work  and  weeping  would  have  laid  me  low  among  the 
rest.  I  felt  that  my  burden  was  heavier  than  I  could 
bear,  and  I  was  ready  to  sink  under  it.  As  God 
would  have  it,  I  was  returning  mournfully  home  from 
a  funeral,  when  my  curiosity  led  me  to  read  a  paper 
which  was  wafered  up  in  a  shoemaker's  window  in  the 
Dover  Road.  It  did  not  look  like  a  trade  announce- 
ment, nor  was  it ;  for  it  bore  in  a  good  bold  hand- 
writing these  words :  '  Because  thou  hast  made  the 
Lord,  which  is  my  refuge,  even  the  Most  High,  thy 
habitation  ;  there  shall  no  evil  befall  thee,  neither  shall 
any  plague  come  nigh  thy  dwelling. 

"  The  effect  upon  my  heart  was  immediate.  Faith 
appropriated  the  passage  as  her  own.  I  felt  secure, 
refreshed,  girt  with  immortality.  I  went  on  with  my 
visitation  of  the  dying  in  a  calm  and  peaceful  spirit ;  I 
felt  no  fear  of  evil,  and  I  suffered  no  harm.  The 
Providence  which  moved  the  tradesman  to  place  those 
verses  in  his  window  I  gratefully  acknowledge,  and  in 
the  remembrance  of  its  marvellous  power  I  adore  the 
Lord  my  God." 

Publishing  Sermons. 

In  the  autumn  of  the  first  year's  pastorate  he 
preached  a  sermon  from  the  words,  "  Is  it  not  wheat 
harvest  to-day  ? "  The  sermon  attracted  attention, 
was  much  talked  about  by  his  hearers,  and  during  the 
following  week  it  appeared  under  the  title  of  "  Harvest 


64  KEY.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

Time,"  and  had  a  large  sale.  This  led  the  publisher 
shordy  afterwards  to  print  another  of  his  sermons, 
under  the  title  of "  God's  Providence."  The  public 
at  once  took  to  these  sermons,  and  by  the  end  of  the 
year  about  a  dozen  had  thus  been  issued.  This 
greatly  increased  his  popularity :  for  many  who  had 
not  heard  him,  read  those  sermons,  were  interested 
in  them,  and  soon  found  opportunity  to  go  and  hear 
him. 

The  demand  for  his  sermons  being  considerably 
greater  than  for  the  sermons  of  other  ministers  then 
being  published,  Mr.  Spurgeon  made  arrangements 
with  the  first  friend  he  met  in  London,  who  was  a 
printer,  and  a  member  of  his  church,  to  commence  the 
publication  of  one  sermon  of  his  every  week,  begin- 
ning with  the  new  year,  1855.  Through  the  good 
providence  of  God  the  sermons  have  appeared  con- 
tinuously, week  by  week,  without  interruption,  for 
more  than  twenty-seven  years,  with  a  steady,  improv- 
ing, and  large  circulation,  which  is  in  itself  a  marked 
indication  of  divine  favor.  No  other  minister  the 
world  has  ever  known  has  been  able  to  produce  one 
printed  sermon  weekly  for  so  many  years.  The  work 
still  goes  on  with  unabated  favor  and  unceasing  in- 
terest. 

The  Preacher  Described. 

The  following  description  of  the  preacher's  style  at 
this  period  is  one  of  the  earliest  we  have  met  with : 
"  His  voice  is  clear  and  musical;  his  language  plain; 
his  style  flowing,  but  terse  ;  his  method  lucid  and  or- 


THE  YOUNG  PREACHER  IN  LONDON.        65 

derly;  his  matter  sound  and  suitable;  his  tone  and 
spirit  cordial ;  his  remarks  always  pithy  and  pungent, 
sometimes  familiar  and  colloquial,  yet  never  light  or 
coarse,  much  less  profane.  Judging  from  a  single  ser- 
mon, we  supposed  that  he  would  become  a  plain,  faith- 
ful, forcible,  and  affectionate  preacher  of  the  gospel  in 
the  form  called  Calvinistic  ;  and  our  judgment  was  the 
more  favorable,  because,  while  there  was  a  solidity 
beyond  his  years,  we  detected  little  of  the  wild  luxuri- 
ance naturally  characteristic  of  very  young  preachers." 
Want  of  order  and  arrangement  was  a  fault  the 
preacher  soon  found  out  himself,  and  he  refers  to  it 
when  he  says  :  "  Once  I  put  all  my  knowledge  together 
in  glorious  confusion  ;  but  now  I  have  a  shelf  in  my 
head  for  everything ;  and  whatever  I  read  or  hear  I 
know  where  to  stow  it  away  for  use  at  the  proper 
time." 

Intense  Interest  Excited. 
Among^st  the  multitudes  who  assembled  to  hear  the 
popular  preacher  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  who,  being  deeply  impressed  by  what  he  saw 
and  heard,  wrote  a  lengthened  article  on  the  subject. 
The  writer  observes :  "  The  crowds  which  have  been 
drawn  to  hear  him,  the  interest  excited  by  his  ministry, 
and  the  conflicting  opinions  expressed  in  reference 
to  his  qualifications  and  usefulness,  have  been  alto- 
gether without  parallel  in  modern  times.  It  was  a  re- 
markable sight  to  see  this  round-faced  country  youth 
thus  placed  in  a  position  of  such  solemn  and  arduous 
responsibility,  yet  addressing  himself  to  the  fulfilment 


66  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

of  its  onerous  duties  with  a  gravity,  self-possession 
and  vigor  that  proved  him  well  fitted  for  the  task  he 
had  assumed." 

Within  one  year,  New  Park-street  Chapel  had  to  be 
enlaroed,  Durino-  the  enlargrement,  Exeter  Hall  was 
taken,  and  it  was  filled  to  overflowing  every  Sabbath 
morning  to  hear  the  young  preacher.  The  chapel, 
which  had  been  enlarged  to  the  fullest  extent  of  the 
ground,  was  soon  found  to  be  far  too  circumscribed 
for  the  thousands  who  flocked  to  hear  him ;  and  by 
the  end  of  the  summer  it  became  necessary  to  seek 
for  a  much  larger  place  to  satisfy  the  demand  of  tlie 
public. 

Twenty-first  Birthday. 

On  the  19th  of  June,  1855,  Mr.  Spurgeon  came  of 
age,  and  he  improved  the  occasion  by  preaching  a  ser- 
mon relating  thereto.  A  larore  concrrecration  heard  it, 
and  it  was  printed  with  an  excellent  likeness  of  the 
young  preacher,  pale  and  thin  as  he  then  was.  The 
sermon  was  published  with  the  title,  "Pictures  of 
Life,  and  Birthday  Reflections."  It  had  a  large  sale. 
That  was  the  first  portrait  of  him  which  had  been 
issued. 

At  that  period  the  first  attempt  to  issue  a  penny 
weekly  newspaper  was  made  by  Mr.  C.  W.  Banks,  and 
the  "  Christian  Cabinet"  was  a  very  spirited  pubHca- 
tion.  The  value  of  a  pure  and  cheap  press  was  fully 
appreciated  by  Mr.  Spurgeon,  who  generously  fur- 
nished articles  for  the  columns  of  that  serial  during 
nearly  the  whole  of  its  first  year's  existence.     They 


THE  YOUNG  PREACHER  IN  LONDON.         67 

show  a  clear  and  sound  judgment  on  many  public 
events  passing  more  than  twenty  years  ago,  and  they 
are  the  first  buddings  of  that  genius  which  has  since 
ripened  so  fully,  and  yielded  such  an  abundant  harvest 
of  rich  mental  food.  The  books  which  have  since 
come  from  Mr.  Spurgeon's  pen  are  equally  marvellous 
,for  their  number,  variety,  and  usefulness,  and  some  of 
'them  have  had  most  unprecedentedly  large  sales. 

Visit  to  Scotland. 

In  July  of  this  year,  1855,  he  paid  his  first  visit  to 
Scotland,  and  a  lively  description  of  his  congregation 
and  preaching  was  printed  in  the  "  Cabinet." 

On  the  bright  evening  of  the  4th  of  September,  Mr. 
Spurgeon  preached  to  about  twelve  thousand  people 
in  a  field  in  King  Edward's  Road,  Hackney.  The  ser- 
mon was  printed  under  the  title  of  "  Heaven  and 
Hell,"  and  had  a  very  large  sale,  doing  at  the  same 
time  a  lar^e  amount  of  ijood.  The  sermon  was  closed 
by  the  preacher  giving  the  following  account  of  his 
own  conversion,  which  had  a  good  effect  on  his  audi- 
ence, proving  that  experience  is  the  best  teacher. 
There  were  thousands  of  young  people  present  who 
were  astonished  at  what  they  heard,  and  many  turned 
that  night  from  their  sins.     The  preacher  said : 

"I  can  remember  the  time  when  my  sins  first  stared 
me  in  the  face.  I  thought  myself  the  most  accursed 
of  all  men.  I  had  not  committed  any  very  great  open 
transgression  against  God  ;  but  I  recollected  that  I  had 
been  well  trained  and  tutored,  and  I  thought  my  sins 
were  thus  greater  than  other  people's.     I  cried  to  God 


68  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

to  have  mercy,  but  I  feared  that  He  would  not  pardon 
me.  Month  after  month  1  cried  to  God,  but  He  did 
not  hear  me,  and  I  knew  not  what  it  was  to  be  saved. 
Sometimes  I  was  so  weary  of  the  world  that  I  desired 
to  die ;  but  I  then  recollected  that  there  was  a  worse 
world  after  this,  and  that  it  would  be  an  ill  matter  to 
rush  before  my  Maker  unprepared.  At  times  I 
wickedly  thought  God  a  most  heartless  tyrant,  because 
He  did  not  answer  my  prayer ;  and  then  at  others  I 
thought,  '  I  deserve  His  displeasure  ;  if  he  sends  me  to 
hell.  He  will  be  just.' 

"  But  I  remember  the  hour  when  I  stepped  into  a 
place  of  worship,  and  saw  a  tall,  thin  man  step  into 
the  pulpit :  I  have  never  seen  him  from  that  day,  and 
probably  never  shall  till  we  meet  in  heaven.  He 
opened  the  Bible,  and  read  with  a  feeble  voice  :  '  Look 
unto  Me  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth ; 
for  I  am  God,  and  beside  Me  there  is  none  else.'  Ah  ! 
thought  I,  I  am  one  of  the  ends  of  the  earth ;  and 
then,  turning  round,  and  fixing  his  gaze  on  me,  as  if 
he  knew  me,  the  minister  said :  '  Look,  look,  look !  ' 
Why,  I  thought  I  had  a  great  deal  to  do,  but  I  found 
it  was  only  to  look.  I  thought  I  had  a  garment  to  spin 
out  for  myself;  but  I  found  that  if  I  looked,  Christ 
could  give  me  a  garment.  Look,  sinner,  that  is  the 
way  to  be  saved.  Look  unto  Him,  all  ye  ends  of  the 
earth,  and  be  saved." 

Preaching  is  the  ordained  means  for  the  salvation 
of  sinners :  the  power  of  appeal  by  the  human  voice 
is  greater  than  any  other ;  but  there  is  another  influ- 


THE  YOUNG  PREACHER  IN  LONDON. 


69 


ence  which  is  potent.  Before  Mr.  Spurgeon  had  is- 
sued more  than  half  a  year's  sermons  from  the  press, 
letters  reached  him  from  far-off  places  recording  the 
good  which  had  been  effected  by  reading  them.  On 
one  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's  visits  to  Scodand  he  was  taken 
to  visit  Anne  Sims,  an  aged  saint  living  at  the  Brae  of 
Killiecrankie,  far  away  up  the  mountains,  who  had  ex- 
pressed intense  delight  in  reading  his  sermons,  and 
prayed  for  his  success  in  the  work,  litde  thinking  that 
in  her  mountain  solitude,  and  in  her  ninetieth  year,  she 
should  ever  see  the  preacher  himself,  whose  visit  was 
to  her  like  that  of  an  angel.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
chronicle  the  results  which  have  followed  the  reading 
of  the  sermons. 

Tiding^s  of  Good  Done. 
In  the  first  ardcle  in  "The  Sword  and  the  Trowel" 
for  1872,  the  editor  himself  says:  "  Our  ministry  has 
never  been  without  large  results  in  conversion." 
Twenty  conversions  have  been  reported  to  him  by 
letter  in  one  week.  The  last  Sunday  sermon  he 
preached  in  1855,  with  which  the  first  volume  of  his 
printed  discourses  is  closed,  had  special  reference  to 
the  war  in  the  Crimea,  and  it  commanded  a  large  sale  ; 
its  title  was,  "  Healing  for  the  Wounded."  It  con- 
tributed materially  to  allay  public  anxiety  about  the 
war.  Mr.  Spurgeon  closed  the  year  by  holding  a 
Watchnight  Service  in  his  chapel.  It  was  a  happy  and 
memorable  service,  and  it  was  afterward  repeated  at 
the  close  of  every  year ;  the  last  hours  of  the  closing 
year  and  the  first  moments  of  the  opening  new  year 


70  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

being  devoted  to  the  worship  of  God,  in  acts  of  per 
sonal  consecration. 

It  is  a  gratifying  fact,  not  generally  known,  that 
from  the  first  year  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's  ministry  in  Lon- 
don several  clergymen  have  used  his  sermons  weekly, 
with  a  little  adaptation,  in  their  own  churches.  This 
testimony  has  been  given  by  the  clergymen  them- 
selves, in  person  and  by  letter,  to  the  writer.  Some 
are  using  the  sermons  in  that  way  at  the  present 
time,  and  though  delivered  second-hand  in  this  man- 
ner, yet  they  are  not  without  fruit. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
A  Wife  and  a  New  Tabernacle. 

Mr.  Spurgeon's  Marriage. — Twelve  Sermons  Weekly. — Not  an  Ascetic. — Sur- 
rey Gardens  Music  Hall. — The  Great  Metropolitan  Tabernacle. — Praying 
among  Bricks  and  Mortar. — Preaching  to  the  Aristocracy. — Note  from  Mr. 
Gladstone. — Offer  from  an  American  Lecture  Bureau. — How  the  Preacher 
Appeared  in  his  Pulpit. — Pastors'  College. — Poem  addressed  to  Mrs.  Spur- 
geon. — Revivals  and  Colportage. — Talk  of  Founding  a  New  Sect. — Visit  to 
Paris. — Preaching  to  Coster-mongers. 

The  year  1856  was  a  remarkable  one  in  the  life  of 
Mr.  Spurgeon.  It  was  the  year  of  his  marriage  ;  the 
year  in  which  he  preached  his  grandfather's  jubilee 
sermon,  and  one  of  the  centenary  sermons  in  Whit- 
field's Tabernacle  in  Tottenham  Court  Road. 

During  the  first  week  of  the  year  Mr.  Spurgeon 
was  delior'tning-  larcre  audiences  at  Bath.  The  second 
week  was  made  memorable  by  a  service  held  in  his 
own  chapel,  in  which  the  young  people,  more  particu- 
larly, took  a  very  lively  interest.  Early  in  the  fore- 
noon of  January  8th  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  married  to 
Miss  Susanna  Thompson,  daughter  of  Mr.  Robert 
Thompson,  of  Falcon  Square,  London.  Twin  boys, 
Charles  and  Thomas  Spurgeon,  are  the  only  additions 
to  their  family.     Both  are  now  settled  pastors. 

At  this  period  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  daily  in  the  pul- 
pit, often  travelling  many  miles  between  the  services 
held ;  and  for  months  together  he  preached  twelve 
sermons  weekly,  with  undiminished  force  and  unflag- 

(71) 


72  REV.    CHARLES    H.    SPURGJION. 

ging  zeal.  In  the  achievement  of  such  herculean  taslcs 
he  has  doubtless  been  indebted  to  an  excellent  consti- 
tution and  to  his  simple  habits  of  living.  He  is  the 
very  embodiment  of  nature,  without  the  usual  make- 
up of  art.  He  throws  himself  on  the  tide  of  social 
intercourse  with  the  freedom  of  one  who  has  no  tricks 
to  exhibit  and  no  failings  to  conceal.  He  is  one  of 
the  most  pleasant  of  companions:  pious  without  any 
of  the  shams  of  piety  ;  temperate  without  a  touch  of 
asceticism ;  and  devout  without  the  solemnity  of  the 
devotee.  Preaching  for  his  poorer  brethren  in  the 
country,  he  declined  to  receive  any  contribution  to- 
wards his  personal  outlay,  excepting  only  in  cases 
where  the  church  could  well  afford  to  pay  his  travel- 
ling expenses. 

Preaching-  in  Surrey  Music  Hall. 

New  Park-street  Chapel  when  enlarged  soon  be- 
came utterly  inadequate  to  receive  the  crowds  which 
flocked  to  hear  Mr.  Spurgeon,  and  the  deacons  found 
it  necessary  to  take  the  largest  available  building  in 
London — the  Royal  Surrey  Gardens  Music  Hall — and 
in  October,  1856,  Mr.  Spurgeon  commenced  to  preach 
every  Sabbath  in  that  vast  audience-room,  continuing 
the  morning  service  there  till  the  great  Metropolitan 
Tabernacle  was  opened. 

What  is  known  as  the  Surrey  Gardens  catastrophe 
we  need  not  do  more  than  allude  to.  On  October 
19th  a  sad  and  fatal  accident  had  wellnigh  put  an  end 
to  the  large  Sabbath  gatherings  drawn  to  hear  Mr. 
Spurgeon  ;  but  that  fatality  was  overruled  for  good. 


A   WIFE   AND   A   NEW    TABERNACLE. 


73 


Previous  to  this  Mr.  Spurgeon  knew  not  what  illness 
was  ;  but  this  calamity,  joined  with  the  wicked  calum- 
nies of  a  portion  of  the  press,  laid  prostrate  even  the 
stronof  man. 


SURREY  MUSIC  HALL. 


In  October,   1856,  the  first  meeting  was   held  for 
considering  the  steps  necessary  to  be  taken  for  erect- 
oreat   Tabernacle.      The   proposal    was    very 


mgr   a 


heartily  taken  up  by  Mr.  Spurgeon's  friends  and  in 


74  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

every  part  of  the  country  sympathy  was  largely  shown 
with  the  movement.  There  were  many  who  laughed 
at  the  idea  of  erecting  as  a  place  of  worship  an  edifice 
to  hold  five  thousand  persons.  Regardless  of  these 
objections  the  work  went  on,  Mr.  Spurgeon  travelling 
all  over  the  land,  preaching  daily,  with  the  promise  of 
half  the  proceeds  of  the  collection  being  devoted  to 
the  new  Tabernacle.  The  foundation-stone  of  the 
great  building  was  laid  by  Sir  Samuel  Morton  Peto, 
August  1 6,  1859. 

Strange  Place  for  a  Prayer  Meeting* 

During  the  progress  of  the  work  Mr.  Spurgeon 
met  on  the  ground,  one  evening  after  the  workmen 
had  left,  one  of  his  deacons.  After  some  consultation 
and  meditation,  surrounded  by  planks,  piles  of  timber 
and  bricks,  in  the  dim  twilight,  they  both  knelt  down 
where  no  eye  could  see  them  but  that  of  God ;  and 
with  only  the  canopy  of  heaven  for  their  covering,  the 
pastor  and  his  friend  each  poured  out  most  earnest 
supplications  for  the  prosperity  of  the  work,  the  safety 
of  the  men  engaged  on  the  building,  and  a  blessing 
on  the  church.  Their  prayers  were  not  offered  in 
vain,  but  were  abundantly  answered.  Out  of  so  large 
a  number  of  men  engaged  on  the  work,  not  one  of 
them  suffered  harm. 

In  1860  a  large  and  enthusiastic  meeting  was  held 
in  the  building  before  it  was  finished,  at  which  much 
money  was  given  and  more  promised.  Great  prepara- 
tions were  made  during  the  winter  for  the  holding  of 
a  large  bazaar  in  the  spring,  which  was  probably  one 


GEORGE  ROGERS,  TUTOR  AT  THE   PASTORS'  COLLEGE. 

75 


76  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

of  the  largest  and  most  productive  of  the  kind  ever 
held  in  London.  The  opening  services  were  com- 
menced on  March  25,  1861,  and  were  continued  with- 
out interruption  for  five  weeks.  As  the  result  of  all 
these  efforts,  the  great  Tabernacle,  to  hold  five  thou- 
sand people,  was  free  from  debt  at  the  end  of  the 
special  services,  and  ^155,000  of  free-will  offerings 
had  been  poured  into  the  hands  of  the  treasurer. 
Since  then  various  improvements  have  been  made  in 
the  audience-room,  and,  using  every  facility  modern 
invention  could  suggest,  seats  have  been  provided  for 
5,500  persons  and  standing  room  for  1,000  more — 
total,  6,500. 

Immense  Congregations. 

Large  as  is  the  accommodation  provided,  the  Taber- 
nacle has  always  been  filled.  All  the  prophets  of  evil 
have  been  found  false  prophets,  and  the  spirit  of  faith 
with  which  the  work  was  begfun  has  had  its  full  reward 
in  results  even  greater  than  ever  had  been  anticipated. 

When  the  church  removed  from  New  Park  Street, 
in  1861,  it  numbered  1,178  members.  In  ten  years 
from  the  commencement  of  his  ministry  Mr.  Spurgeon 
has  received  into  fellowship  by  baptism  3,569  persons. 

During  the  period  in  which  Mr.  Spurgeon  was 
preaching  in  the  Surrey  Music  Hall  large  numbers 
of  the  aristocracy  attended  his  ministry;  amongst 
whom  were  Lord  Chief  Justice  Campbell,  the  Lord 
Mayor  and  Sheriffs  of  London,  Earl  Russell,  Lord 
Alfred  Paget,  Lord  Panmure,  Earl  Grey,  Earl  Shaftes- 
bury, the  Marquis  of  Westminster,  the   Duchess  of 


A   WIFE   AND   A   NEW   TABERNACLE.  77 

Sutherland,  Lord  Carlisle,  Earl  of  Elgin,  Baron 
Bramwell,  Miss  Florence  Nightingale,  Lady  Roths- 
child, Dr.  Livingstone,  and  many  other  persons 
of  learning  and  distinction,  some  of  whom  sought 
and  obtained  interviews  with  the  preacher.  It  was 
during  that  interim  that  Mr.  Spurgeon  paid  one  of  his 
visits  to  Holland,  was  privileged  to  preach  before  the 
Dutch  Court,  and  had  a  lengthened  interview  with 
the  queen  of  that  country.  It  was  reported  that  some 
members  of  the  English  Royal  Family  also  occasion- 
ally attended  on  his  preaching,  and  not  a  few  distin- 
guished clergymen  and  professors. 

Gladstone  and  Spurgeon. 

On  one  occasion  Mr.  Gladstone  and  his  son  formed 
part  of  the  congregation,  and  a  mutual  interview  was 
held  at  the  close  of  the  service  between  the  great 
premier  and  the  humble  pastor.  Mr.  Gladstone  has 
often  spoken  very  highly  of  Mr.  Spurgeon,  calling  him 
"  the  last  of  the  Puritans."  During  Mr.  Spurgeon's 
illness  In  1891,  Mr.  Gladstone,  in  a  letter  to  Mrs. 
Spurgeon,  said:  "In  my  own  home,  darkened  at  the 
present  time,  I  read  with  sad  interest  the  accounts  of 
Mr.  Spurgeon's  illness.  I  cannot  help  conveying  to 
you  an  earnest  assurance  of  my  sympathy  and  of  my 
cordial  admiration,  not  only  for  his  splendid  powers, 
but  still  more  for  his  devoted  and  unfailing  character. 
I  humbly  commend  you  and  him  In  all  contingencies 
to  the  infinite  stores  of  divine  love  and  mercy." 

Mrs.  Spurgeon    replied   with  a  note  of  thanks,  a 


78  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

postscript  to  which  was  traced  by  Mr.  Spurgeon,  as 
follows  : 

"  Yours  is  a  word  of  love  such  as  those  only  write 
who  have  been  into  the  King's  country  and  seen  much 
of  his  face.     My  heart's  love  to  you." 

Dr.  Livingstone,  the  great  African  explorer,  said, 
on  one  occasion  after  hearing  Mr.  Spurgeon,  that  no 
religious  service  he  ever  remembered  had  so  deeply 
impressed  his  own  mind  as  that  he  had  witnessed  and 
participated  in  that  morning;  adding,  that  when  he 
had  retired  again  into  the  solitudes  of  Africa,  no  scene 
he  had  ever  witnessed  would  afford  him  more  conso- 
lation than  to  recall  the  recollection  that  there  was  one 
man  God  had  raised  up  who  could  so  effectively  and 
impressively  preach  to  congregated  thousands,  whilst 
he  should  have  to  content  himself  by  preaching  to 
units,  or  at  most  tens,  under  a  tropical  sky  in  Africa; 
implying  at  the  same  time,  that  Mr.  Spurgeon's  sphere 
of  religious  influence  was  a  hundred  times  "greater  than 
that  of  the  great  and  good  traveller. 

No  Time  To  L<ectiire  in  America. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  has  often  been  invited  to  lecture  in 
this  country,  but  has  always  declined.  The  managers 
of  the  Redpath  Lyceum  Bureau  having  noticed  a 
paragraph  in  the  Boston  papers  stating  that  Mr.  Spur- 
geon was  about  to  visit  the  United  States,  enclosed  it 
to  him  and  wrote  as  follows : 

Boston,  Mass.,  June  22,  1876. 

Dear  Sir, — Is  the  above  paragraph  true  ?  We  have 
tried  so  long  and  so  hard  for  many  years  to  secure  you 


A   WIFE   AND   A    NEW   TABERNACLE. 


79 


that  we  thought  it  impossible,  and  long  since  gave  up 
all  hope.  We  are  the  exclusive  agents  of  all  the  lead- 
ing lecturers  in  America.  We  will  give  you  a  thousand 
dollars  171  gold  for  every  lecture  you  deliver  in  America, 
and  pay  all  your  expenses  to  and  from  your  home,  and 
place  you  under  the  most  popular  auspices  in  the 
country.     Will  you  come? 

To  this  invitation  Mr.  Spurgeon  returned  the  follow- 
ing reply  : — 

Clapham,  London,  England,  July  6. 

Gentlemen, — I  cannot  imagine  how  such  a  para- 
graph should  appear  in  your  papers,  except  by 
deliberate  invention  of  a  hard-up  editor,  for  I  never 
had  any  idea  of  leaving  home  for  America  for  some 
time  to  come.  As  I  said  to  you  before,  if  I  could  come,  I 
am  not  a  lecturer,  nor  would  I  receive  money  for 
preaching. 

In  the  year  1857  Mr.  Spurgeon  preached  two  ser- 
mons— one  in  the  ordinary  course  of  his  ministrations, 
the  other  on  a  special  occasion — both  of  which  com- 
manded a  sale  of  more  than  a  hundred  thousand 
copies.  The  first,  preached  in  the  autumn,  was  en- 
titled "  India's  Ills  and  England's  Sorrows,"  and  had 
reference  to  the  mutiny  in  India.  The  second  was 
preached  in  the  Crystal  Palace  at  Sydenham  on  the 
fast  day  relating  to  the  war  in  India,  when  probably 
not  less  than  twenty  thousand  formed  the  preacher's 
audience. 


80  REV.    CHARLES    H.    SPURGEON. 

Marvellous  Gifts. 

It  will  doubtless  interest  many  to  learn  something 
of  the  personal  appearance  of  the  preacher  as  he 
stood  before  that  vast  audience.  One  who  had  some 
skill  in  depicting  natural  life  wrote  of  him  as  follows  : 

"He  is  of  medium  height,  at  present  quite  stout, 
has  a  round  and  beardless  face,  not  a  high  forehead, 
dark  hair,  parted  in  the  centre  of  the  head.  His  ap- 
pearance in  the  pulpit  may  be  said  to  be  interesting 
rather  than  commanding.  He  betrays  his  youth,  and 
still  wears  a  boyish  countenance.  His  figure  is  awk- 
ward— his  manners  are  plain — his  face  (except  when 
illumined  by  a  smile)  is  admitted  to  be  heavy.  His 
voice  seems  to  be  the  only  personal  instrument  he 
possesses,  by  which  he  is  enabled  to  acquire  such  a 
marvellous  power  over  the  minds  and  hearts  of  his 
hearers.  His  voice  is  powerful,  rich,  melodious,  and 
under  perfect  control.  Twelve  thousand  have  dis- 
tinctly heard  every  sentence  he  uttered  in  the  open 
air,  and  this  powerful  instrument  carried  his  burning 
words  to  an  audience  of  twenty  thousand  gathered  in 
the  Crystal  Palace.  '  Soon  as  he  commences  to 
speak,'  says  an  English  critic,  '  tones  of  richest  melody 
are  heard.  A  voice,  full,  sweet,  and  musical,  falls  on 
every  ear,  and  awakens  agreeable  emotions  in  every 
soul  in  which  there  is  a  sympathy  for  sounds.  That 
most  excellent  of  voices  is  under  perfect  control,  and 
can  whisper  or  thunder  at  the  wish  of  its  possessor." 

"Then  there  is  poetry  in  every  feature  and  every 
movement,  as  well  as  music  in  the  voice.     The  coun- 


A   WIFE    AND    A    NEW    TABERNACLE.  81 

tenance  speaks,  the  entire  form  sympathizes.  The 
action  is  in  complete  unison  with  the  sentiments,  and 
the  eye  hstens  scarcely  less  than  the  ear  to  the 
sweetly  flowing  oratory.'  To  the  influence  of  this 
powerful  voice  he  adds  that  of  a  manner  character- 
ized by  great  freedom  and  fearlessness,  intensely 
earnest,  and  strikingly  natural.  When  to  these  we 
add  the  influence  of  thrilling  description,  touching 
anecdote,  sparkling  wit,  startling  episodes,  striking 
similes,  all  used  to  illustrate  and  enforce  the  deep, 
earnest  home-truths  of  the  Bible,  we  surely  have  a 
combination  of  elements  which  must  make  up  a 
preacher  of  wonderful  attraction  and  of  marvellous 
power." 

Pastors'  Colleg-e. 

Amidst  his  incessant  duties  and  almost  daily  jour- 
neys and  sermons,  the  devoted  pastor  still  found  time 
to  give  instruction  to  the  young  men  he  kept  under 
his  careful  ministry.  With  Mr.  Spurgeon  it  was  work 
almost  night  and  day,  and  all  day  long,  with  but  little 
intermission,  for  several  years  in  succession.  The 
o-erms  of  what  is  now  known  as  Pastors'  Colleofe  were 
never  absent  from  his  mind,  and  frequently  occupied 
his  attendon  when  in  London.  In  1857  ^^e  first 
student  was  sent  out  in  charge  of  a  church;  in  1858 
Mr.  Silverton  went  forth;  in  1859  Mr.  Davies  and 
Mr.  Genders  followed,  both  of  whom  have  left  their 
mark  on  society. 

On  Jan.  i,  1865,  appeared  the  first  number  of  "  The 
Sword  and  the  Trowel ;  "    a  record  of  combat  with 

6 


82  REY.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

sin,  and  labor  for  the  Lord.  It  had  an  ornamental  cover 
representing  a  Jewish  doorway  of  stone,  and  beyond 
and  within  were  seen  the  zealous  Jews  at  work  re- 
building the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  the  sword  in  one 
hand,  the  trowel  in  the  other.  The  work  was  so 
wisely  planned,  and  it  has  been  so  ably  conducted,  that 
it  now  occupies  a  prominent,  if  not  a  foremost  place 
amongst  the  periodical  literature  of  the  land,  and  has 
a  circulation  of  several  thousand  copies  monthly,  with 
a  steady  advancement. 

Literary  Labors. 

Besides  the  other  works  daily  undertaken  by  Mr. 
Spurgeon  himself,  and  all  his  journeys  in  the  Country 
to  preach  special  sermons,  he  found  time  to  write  no 
less  than  nineteen  ardcles  for  the  first  year's  volume 
of  his  mao-azine.  At  the  end  of  the  year  the  editor 
was  ill  at  home,  but  he  informed  his  friends,  through 
the  magazine,  that  he  had  finished  wridng  his  new 
book,  •'  Morning  by  Morning,"  by  which  means  he 
hoped  to  hold  hallowed  communion  with  thousands 
of  families  all  over  the  world,  every  morning  at  the 
family  altar.  He  has  since  added  to  it  a  companion 
volume,  •'  Evening  by  Evening;"  both  of  which  works 
have  had  a  large  sale.  Amongst  his  articles  in  1865 
were  two  poems,  one  entitled  "  The  Fall  of  Jericho  ;  " 
the  other  will  find  a  fitdng  place  In  these  pages.  It 
was  written  while  on  a  visit  to  Hull,  in  Yorkshire, 
during  the  summer,  and  tenderly  expresses  the  young 
pastor's  love  to  his  wife. 


A   WIFE   AND  A   NEW   TABERNACLE.  ^ 

MARRIED  LOVE— TO  MY  WIFE. 

Over  the  space  that  parts  us,  my  wife, 

I'll  cast  me  a  bridge  of  song, 
Our  hearts  shall  meet,  O  joy  of  my  life. 

On  its  arch  unseen,  but  strong. 

The  wooer  his  new  love's  name  may  wear 

Engraved  on  a  precious  stone  ; 
But  in  my  heart  thine  image  I  wear. 

That  heart  has  long  been  thine  own. 

The  glowing  colors  on  surface  laid, 

Wash  out  in  a  shower  of  rain  ; 
Thou  need'st  not  be  of  rivers  afraid. 

For  my  love  is  dyed  ingrain. 

And  as  every  drop  of  Garrla's  lake 

Is  tinged  wiih  sapphire's  blue. 
So  all  the  powers  of  my  mind  partake 

Of  joy  at  the  thought  of  you. 

The  glittering  dewdrops  of  dawning  love 

Exhale  as  the  day  grows  old, 
And  fondness,  taking  the  wings  of  a  dove, 
Is  gone  like  a  tale  of  old. 

But  mine  for  thee,  from  the  chambers  of  joy; 

With  strength  came  forth  as  the  sun, 
Nor  life  nor  death  shall  its  force  destroy. 

Forever  its  course  shall  run. 

All  earth-born  love  must  sleep  in  the  grave, 

To  its  nntive  dust  return  ; 
What  God  hath  kindled  shall  death  out-brave. 

And  in  heaven  itself  shall  burn. 

Beyond  and  above  the  wedlock  tie 

Our  union  to  Christ  we  feel ; 
Uniting  bonds  which  were  made  on  high. 

Shall  hold  us  when  earth  shall  reel. 


84  REV.    CHARLES    H.    SPURGEON. 

Though  He  who  chose  us  all  worlds  before. 

Must  reign  in  our  hearts  alone, 
We  fondly  believe  that  we  shall  adore 

Together  before  His  throne. 

During  the  year  1865  Mr.  Spurgeon  held  in  the 
Tabernacle  united  meetings  for  prayer  through  one 
entire  week,  attended  by  over  six  thousand  persons, 
which  were  a  source  of  so  much  blessing  to  those 
attendinor  them  that  a  second  series  followed  a  month 

o 

later. 

Revival  Services. 

Conscious  of  the  power  of  prayer  the  pastor  com- 
menced the  year  1866  with  a  month's  continuous  re- 
vival services,  at  which  one  hundred  md  twenty  minis- 
ters and  students  were  present.  Knowing  that  he 
should  have  the  sympathy  and  co-operation  of  his 
church  in  conducting  them,  in  September  the  whole 
church  had  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer. 

An  important  work,  which  had  for  a  long  time 
occupied  Mr.  Spurgeon's  attention,  was  brought  out 
this  year,  under  the  title  of  "  Our  Own  Hymn  Book." 
The  preparation  of  a  new  collection  of  psalms  and 
hymns  for  congregational  use  was  felt  to  be  an  urgent 
necessity,  but  there  was  a  nervous  fear  about  the  suc- 
cess of  such  a  work.  It  was  prepared  with  great  care, 
and  no  pains  were  spared  to  make  it  complete  in 
every  respect,  giving  correct  text,  author's  name  to 
each  hymn,  with  date  of  first  publication,  and  other 
interesting  particulars  in  the  large  edition  of  the  book. 
The  public  at  once  saw  the  value  of  the  collection, 


A   WIFE   AND   A   NEW   TABERNACLE.  85 

and  since  that  time  it  has  had  a  very  large  sale,  having 
been  adopted  by  and  is  now  in  use  in  scores  if  not 
hundreds  of  congregations. 

Colportag^e  Association. 

As  a  student  of  the  times  in  which  Puritanism  began 
to  take  hold  of  the  mind  of  the  English  people,  Mr. 
Spurgeon  knew  how  great  a  work  was  accomplished 
by  the  Nonconformists  by  book  hawking.  He  had 
learned  by  several  visits  to  Scotland  how  useful  and 
valuable  that  agency  was  in  the  north  of  England. 
He  therefore,  in  January,  1866,  issued  a  circular  stat- 
ing his  intention  to  establish  a  system  of  colportage, 
by  which  his  sermons  and  other  works  of  a  moral  and 
religious  character  might  be  more  widely  distributed. 

At  first  it  was  intended  to  be  confined  to  London 
and  the  neglected  villages  and  small  country  towns 
around,  where  access  to  religious  literature  was  diffi- 
cult. The  result  of  the  appeal  made  in  January  led  to 
the  formation  of  The  Colportage  Association  in 
October,  which  has  ever  since  been  one  of  the  impor- 
tant agencies  of  the  Tabernacle,  and  which  is  every 
year  increasing  its  operations  and  usefulness.  It 
employs  colporteurs,  whose  whole  time  is  directed  to 
the  work,  and  who  are  paid  a  moderate  salary ;  also 
book  agents,  who  are  constantly  delivering  books  to 
purchasers,  for  which  service  they  receive  a  liberal 
discount  on  sales,  and  by  which  they  are  enabled  to 
make  a  satisfactory  living.  The  wisdom  of  the  course 
taken  by  Mr,  Spurgeon  in  this  matter  has  since  been 
abundantly  demonstrated.     That  association  has  been 


86  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

a  blessing  to  thousands,  and  has  done  a  noble  work 
in  very  needy  localities. 

Not  a  Sectarian. 

At  this  time  there  was  a  feelinor  abroad  which  mani- 
fested  itself  in  several  articles  in  public  papers,  and 
notably  in  a  New  York  religious  weekly,  that  Mr. 
Spurgeon,  by  means  of  his  College  and  the  large  num- 
ber of  new  chapels  being  erected  all  over  the  land  for 
his  students,  was  aiming  at  founding  a  sect,  after  the 
example  of  Wesley.  So  soon  as  this  notion  reached 
Mr.  Spurgeon,  he  took  the  earliest  opportunity  of 
repudiating  the  idea.  In  a  short  article  entitled 
**  Spurgeonism,"  he  thus  records  his  views : 

"There  is  no  word  in  the  world  so  hateful  to  our 
heart  as  that  word  Spurgeonism,  and  no  thought  fur- 
ther from  our  soul  than  that  of  formino-  a  new  sect. 
Our  course  has  been,  and  we  hope  ever  will  be,  an 
independent  one ;  but  to  charge  us  with  separating 
from  the  o-eneral  orofanization  of  the  relio^ious  world, 
and  even  of  the  Baptist  denomination,  is  to  perpetrate 
an  unfounded  libel.  We  preach  no  new  gospel,  we 
desire  no  new  objects,  and  follow  them  in  no  novel 
spirit.  We  love  Christ  better  than  a  sect,  and  truth 
better  than  a  party,  and  so  far  are  not  denomina- 
tional ;  but  we  are  in  open  union  with  the  Baptists  for 
the  very  reason  that  we  cannot  endure  isolation.  He 
who  searches  all  hearts  knows  that  our  aim  and  object 
is  not  to  gather  a  band  around  self,  but  to  unite  a 
company  around  the  Saviour.  'Let  my  name  perish, 
but  let  Christ's  name  last  forever,'  said  George  Whit- 


A   WIFE   AND   A  NEW   TABERNACLE.  87 

field;  and  so  has  Charles  Spurgeon  said  a  hundred 
times. 

We  aid  and  assist  the  Baptist  churches  to  the  full 
extent  of  our  power,  although  we  do  not  restrict  our 
energies  to  them  alone,  and  in  this  those  churches  are 
far  enough  from  blaming  us.  Our  joy  and  rejoicing 
is  great  in  the  fellowship  of  all  believers,  and  the  form- 
ing of  a  fresh  sect  is  work  which  we  leave  to  the  devil, 
whom  it  befits  far  more  than  ourselves.  It  is  true 
that  it  has  long  been  in  our  power  to  commence  a 
new  denomination,  but  it  is  not  true  that  it  has  ever 
been  contemplated  by  us  or  our  friends.  We  desire 
as  much  as  possible  to  work  with  the  existing  agencies, 
and  when  we  commence  new  ones  our  friends  must 
believe  that  it  is  with  no  idea  of  orgfanizinof  a  fresh 
community." 

Work  in  Paris. 

The  closing  days  of  the  year  1866  Mr.  Spurgeon 
spent  in  Paris,  in  a  successful  effort  to  get  the  Baptist 
church  in  that  city  brought  out  of  an  obscure  corner, 
in  which  property  could  not  be  respected,  into  a  place 
of  prominence,  where  there  was  hope  of  its  becoming 
known  and  beincr  useful.  This  effort  had  lono-  exer- 
cised  the  mind  of  Pastor  Spurgeon,  and  he  had  the 
joy  of  seeing  the  work  he  aimed  at  fully  accomplished. 
He  spent  his  Christmas  in  Paris,  getting  rest  for  him- 
self and  doing  a  good  work  for  the  Parisians. 

Reinvigorated  by  his  short  trip  to  the  Continent, 
he  returned  to  his  duties  at  the  Tabernacle  with  re- 


88  KEY.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

newed  energy  and  a  stronger  faith,  having   gained 
fresh  courage  from  his  success  in  France. 

The  month  of  February,  1867,  witnessed  the  usual 
week  of  prayer,  which  that  year  was  marked,  on  the 
1 8th,  by  a  whole  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  commenc- 
ing at  seven  in  the  morning  and  continuing,  without  a 
pause  or  breaking  up  for  meals,  until  nine  at  night — 
a  day  of  prayer,  in  which  the  Holy  Spirit  was  mani- 
festly present  all  day.  The  account  of  the  services 
held  during  that  week  reads  like  a  new  chapter  of  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles. 

Reaching-  the  Coninion  People. 

The  readiness  with  which  Mr.  Spurgeon  can  adapt 
himself  to  his  audience,  whether  that  audience  consists 
of  the  educated  or  affluent,  the  poor  or  the  ignorant, 
was  never  more  distinctly  seen  than  when,  in  the 
Evangelists'  Tabernacle,  Golden  Lane,  City,  he 
preached  to  a  congregation  of  costermongers.  Mr. 
Orsman,  the  missionary  there,  had  distributed  tickets 
among  the  street  dealers  in  Whitecross  Street,  so  as 
to  secure  the  class  for  whom  the  service  was  intended. 
An  amusing  article  might  be  written  to  describe  the 
singular  variety  of  countenances  and  callings  of  those 
present.  The  hymns  were  heartily  sung;  the  prayer 
'won  the  hearts  of  the  audience  when  Mr.  Spurgeon 
offered  supplication  for  those  who  had  bodily  aches 
and  pains,  and  whose  poverty  deprived  them  of  many 
desired  comforts  ;  many  deep  sighs  followed  those 
prayers. 

The  sermon  was  preached  from  St.  John  iv.  15,  and 


A   WIFE   AND  A  NEW   TABERNACLE.  89 

it  was  illustrated  by  allusions  to  the  habits  aud  manner 
of  life  of  his  congregation,  whose  acuteness  relished 
the  anecdotes  and  homely  hits  which  the  preacher  so 
freely  used.  A  costermonger's  living  depends  much 
upon  his  voice.  After  the  service  the  costers  were 
free  in  their  comments  on  the  preacher's  voice,  which 
was  described  as  "  Wot  a  woice  !  "  *'  Wonderful !  " 
"  Stunnin' !  "  "I  never !  "  "  Would  make  a  fine  coster! " 
etc.  After  the  sermon  about  two  hundred  remained 
to  be  prayed  with,  and  much  spiritual  good  was  done 
that  nicjht. 

Great  Assemblies  in  Agricultural  Hall 

Six  years  having  elapsed  since  the  Tabernacle  was 
opened,  the  building  had  suffered  much  from  the 
massive  conofreofations  which  had  assembled  there, 
and  it  became  necessary  to  close  it  for  several  weeks 
for  repairs.  During  that  period  Mr.  Spurgeon 
preached  to  immense  congregations  in  the  Agricultural 
Hall,  Islington.  The  first  of  the  five  special  services 
was  held  on  Sunday,  March  24,  1867,  when  about 
twelve  thousand  persons  were  present.  The  preacher's 
delivery  was  slow,  measured,  and  emphatic;  nothing 
labored ;  and  his  voice  lost  none  of  its  accustomed 
music.  Many  thousands  heard  the  gospel  at  that 
time  who  were  not  accustomed  to  attend  any  place  of 
worship.  More  than  twenty  thousand  were  in  attend- 
ance on  the  final  day. 

The  heavy  responsibilities  which  rested  on  the 
pastor  of  the  Tabernacle  in  the  early  part  of  the  year 
made  it  necessary  for  him  to  seek  a  little  recreation. 


90  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON, 

and  with  that  he  blended  a  friendly  service  for  his 
esteemed  friend  Pastor  Oncken,  by  preaching  for  him 
at  the  opening  of  his  new  Baptist  church  at  Hamburg. 
He  included  in  his  travels  a  visit  to  Heligoland,  which 
furnished  for  his  ready  and  fertile  pen  most  interesting 
matter  for  an  article,  which  contains  information  both 
curious  and  valuable,  not  to  be  found  elsewhere. 


CHAPTER  V. 
Successful  Labors. 

Orphan  Houses. — Impressive  Spectacle. — "  On  My  Back." — Liberal  Gifts. — 
Illness  of  Mrs.  Spurgeon. — Silly  Tales. — "A  Black  Business." — Laid  Aside 
by  Illness. — New  Year's  Letter. — The  Pastor  Prostrate. — Discussion  Concern- 
ing Future  Punishment. — The  Bible  Jind  Public  Schools. — A  Victim  to  Gout. 
— Visit  to  the  Continent. — Pastors'  College. — Ingatherings  at  the  Tabernacle. 
— Colored  Jubilee  Singers. —  Pointed  Preaching. — Great  Missionary  Meeting. 
— A  New  Corner-stone. 

Returning  home,  the  industrious  pastor  found 
abundance  of  important  work  awaiting  him.  During 
the  April  previous  the  land  had  been  secured  at 
Stockwell  for  the  Orphan  Houses.  The  work  of 
preparation  for  their  erection  had  been  so  far  advanced 
that  a  great  festival  was  arranged,  and  on  Monday, 
September  9,  1867,  a  party  of  some  four  thousand 
persons  assembled  at  Stockwell,  a  large  proportion 
of  the  company  being  collectors ;  and  it  was  part  of 
the  programme  for  the  foundation-stones  of  three  of 
the  houses  to  be  laid,  and  for  the  numerous  collectors 
to  lay  on  the  stones  their  respective  contributions. 
It  was  an  auspicious  day  for  Mr.  Spurgeon,  for  his 
deacons  and  church-members.  A  widely  extended 
interest  had  been  felt  in  the  work,  and  the  occasion 
became  a  grand  holiday  in  that  southern  suburb  of 
London.  Three  of  the  houses  were  thus  far  advanced 
in  their  progress,  namely,  the  Silver  Wedding  House, 

(91) 


92  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

the  Merchants'  House,  and  the  Workmen's  House. 
The  united  sum  the  collectors  laid  upon  the  stones 
amounted  to  eleven  thousand  dollars. 

A  Home  for  Orphans. 

The  entire  spectacle  was  both  novel  and  touching. 
jPrayers  were  offered  on  the  occasion,  the  influence  of 
which  it  is  believed  will  be  felt  throughout  all  time. 
Appropriate  hymns  were  sung,  each  ceremony  being 
conducted  with  verses  specially  prepared,  the  first  of 
which  was  as  follows : 

Accept,  O  Lord,  the  grateful  love 

Which  yields  this  house  to  Thee; 
And  on  the  Silver  Wedding  House 

Let  blessings  ever  be. 

It  was  announced  at  the  close  of  the  ceremony  that 
in  addition  to  the  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  given 
by  Mrs.  Hillyard,  the  money  in  hand  was  then  twenty- 
seven  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  The  assembly 
returned  home  highly  delighted  with  the  service  and 
the  glad  tidings  they  had  heard,  whilst  the  pastor, 
worn  out  with  fatigue  and  anxiety,  retired  home  to 
rest. 

The  mental  and  physical  strain  of  such  heavy  re- 
sponsibilities was  too  much  for  Mr.  Spurgeon,  who 
was  soon  after  laid  aside  quite  ill.  Although  physically 
prostrate,  his  mind  was  in  active  exercise ;  and  after 
being  a  sufferer  for  two  months,  he  wrote  an  article 
for  his  magazine  entitled,  "  On  My  Back,"  in  which  he 
submissiv-ely  said,  that  after  two  months  of  ill  health 
and  severe  pain,  yet  he  believed  there  was  a  limit  to 


SUCCESSFUL    LABORS.  93 

sickness,  and  that  Jesus  knew  all  about  it,  feeling 
assured  that  the  design  of  sickness  was  divinely  good. 
This  long  absence  from  the  pulpit  led  to  the  appoint- 
ment of  his  brother,  James  Archer  Spurgeon,  as  co- 
pastor  to  the  church  at  the  Tabernacle,  and  he 
officially  entered  on  those  duties  in  January,  1868. 

Busy  with  Peu  and  Voice. 

Although  the  year  1868  did  not  furnish  occasion 
for  such  important  events  as  the  preceding  one,  yet 
was  there  much  earnest  work  done  by  Mr.  Spurgeon 
at  his  Tabernacle.  Not  able  to  do  so  much  physical 
work,  he  used  his  pen  very  freely.  He  wrote  two 
articles  for  his  magazine  to  advocate  the  claims  of 
the  Colportage  Association.  In  March  he  delivered 
at  the  Tabernacle  a  lecture  on  "Our  History  and 
Work,"  with  Mr.  W.  McArthur,  M.P.,  in  the  chair. 
He  also  wrote  an  interesting  article  relatinor  incidents 
in  the  life  of  his  grandfather.  In  the  month  of  May 
he  preached  the  Sermon  to  Young  Men  at  Mr,  Mar- 
tin's Chapel,  Westminster,  on  behalf  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society — a  service  rendered  the  more 
cheerfully,  remembering,  as  he  did,  the  prophetic 
words  of  good  Richard  Knill,  that  he  would  preach 
in  the  largest  chapel  in  London.  That  was  probably 
the  largest  chapel  he  had  preached  in,  excepting  his 
own.  During  the  same  month  he  spoke  at  the  Break- 
fast Meeting  of  the  Congregational  Union. 

Generous  Donations. 

In  the  month  of  March  a  generous  friend  sent  to 
the  pastor  five  thousand  dollars  for  the  College  and 


94  REV.    CHARLES   E.    SPURGEON. 

five  thousand  dollars  for  the  Orphanage — such  in- 
stances of  liberality  amply  testifying  the  high  estima- 
tion in  which  the  noble  enterprises  of  Mr.  Spurgeon 
were  held  by  the  public.  On  his  birthday,  June  19th, 
a  great  meeting  was  held,  and  liberal  contributions 
made  for  the  Orphanage. 

Bright  as  are  these  spots  in  the  life  of  the  pastor, 
and  in  his  work  at  the  Tabernacle  and  its  belongings, 
yet  there  hung  over  his  home  all  the  time  a  dark 
shadow  which  Divine  Providence  saw  fit  to  place  there. 
Mrs.  Spurgeon  had  long  been  a  great  sufferer,  and  to 
alleviate  her  sorrows,  if  possible,  a  very  painful  opera- 
tion had  to  be  undertaken.  The  most  skilful  surgeons 
of  the  land  were  engaged,  under  the  direction  of  Sir 
James  Simpson,  of  Edinburgh.  Prayer  was  made 
for  her  by  the  whole  church,  and,  by  the  blessing  of 
God,  the  operation  was  so  far  successful  that  her 
sufferings  were  alleviated  and  her  life  prolonged  ;  but 
it  has  been  a  life  of  pain  and  weakness,  though  with 
less  of  anouish. 

A  Jubilant  Note. 

A  gratifying  fact  is  recorded  by  Mr.  Spurgeon  this 
year,  who  publicly  acknowledges  the  kindness  of  Dr. 
Palfrey,  of  Finsbury  Square,  for  his  gratuitous  and 
generous  professional  attendance  on  the  poor  members 
of  the  Tabernacle. 

At  Christmastide,  and  at  the  opening  of  the  year, 
the  claims  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's  benevolent  agencies  were 
remembered  by  his  many  friends,  who  sent  him  of 
their  worldly  substance  with  generous  hands,  so  that 


96  EEV.    CHARLES    H.    SPURGEON. 

he  commences  the  first  number  of  "  The  Sword  and 
the  Trowel  "  for  1869  with  a  most  jubilant  note  :  "  Bless 
the  Lord,  O  my  soul !  " 

He  also  made  the  announcement  that  a  gentleman 
in  Australia  had  written  to  say  he  intended  to  reprint 
his  sermons  weekly  in  that  far-off  land,  to  give  them 
a  yet  wider  circulation. 

From  the  very  commencement  of  his  ministry 
strange  tales  had  been  put  into  circulation  by  his 
detractors,  most  of  which  Mr.  Spurgeon  passed  by  in 
silence.  Several  very  ludicrous  speeches  were 
attributed  to  him  soon  after  he  became  popular  in 
London.  In  the  midst  of  his  work,  at  the  opening  of 
the  year  1869,  the  voice  of  the  slanderer  was  again 
heard,  and  many  were  troubling  the  busy  pastor  to 
know  how  true  were  the  statements  in  circulation  re- 
specting him. 

Absurd  Stories. 

In  reply  to  all  these,  under  the  head  of  "  Silly  Tales," 
he  wrote  in  his  magazine  :  *'  Friends  who  write  us  about 
silly  tales  may  save  themselves  the  trouble.  We 
have  been  enabled  in  our  ministry  and  in  our  walk 
before  God  so  to  act,  through  grace,  that  we  have  given 
no  occasion  for  the  slanderers,  save  only  that  we  have 
kept  the  faith,  and  been  very  jealous  for  the  Lord  God 
of  Israel.  Many  of  the  absurd  stories  still  retailed 
everywhere  are  the  very  same  libels  which  were  re- 
peated concerning  Rowland  Hill  and  others  long  gone 
to  their  rest." 

Having   seen    much   of    the   folly   too    frequently 


SUCCESSFUL   LABORS. 


97 


exhibited  at  funerals,  he  published  his  views,  with  the 
apt  title,  "  Funerals ;  or  a  Black  Business,"  in  which, 
after  exposing  the  folly  of  using  feathers  and  gold- 
headed  sticks  in  carrying  a  dead  body  to  the  grave,  he 
observes:  "I  would  sooner  be  eaten  by  crows  than 
have  pride  and  pomp  feeding  on  my  little  savings, 
which  are  meant  for  my  bereaved  wife  and  children, 
and  not  for  unsuitable,  untimely,  and  unholy  show. 


New  Park  Street  ChapbIn 


I  have  heard  that  more  than  four  millions  of  money 
are  squandered  every  year  in  funeral  fopperies.  The 
money  buys  or  hires  silk  scarfs,  brass  nails,  feathers 
for  horses,  kid  gloves  and  gin  for  the  mutes,  and  white 
satin  and  black  cloth  for  the  worms.  It  seems  to  me 
to  be  mighty  fine  nonsense,  more  for  the  pride  of  the 
living  than  the  honor  of  the  dead,  more  for  the  profit 
of  the  undertaker  than  any  one  else." 


98  REV.   CHARLES  H.   SPURGEON. 

Attack  of  Small-pox. 

In  June  of  that  year  the  first  report  of  the  Orphan- 
age was  issued,  which  plainly  set  forth  how  earnestly 
the  work  had  been  carried  on  for  it  in  havinof  the 
houses  erected  and  in  getting  them  furnished  and 
occupied.  Twenty-nine  boys  were  then  in  residence, 
one  of  whom  was  the  son  of  one  of  the  workmen  who 
had  assisted  in  building  the  Workmen's  House,  the 
father  having  died  after  the  house  was  erected. 

Taking  a  short  holiday  in  July,  Mr.  Spurgeon,  ac- 
companied by  a  friend,  climbed  the  summit  of  Hind- 
head,  in  the  South  of  England,  then  paid  a  brief  visit 
to  the  Continent.  Soon  after  his  return  home,  in 
October,  he  was  entirely  laid  aside  from  pastoral  work 
by  a  slight  attack  of  small-pox.  His  friends  became 
seriously  anxious  about  him,  and  special  prayer  was 
made  again  and  again  for  his  recovery.  It  came 
slowly,  but  in  anticipation  thereof  the  first  article  in 
the  magazine  for  November  was  "A  Sermon  from  a 
Sick  Preacher."  Possessed  of  such  mighty  faith  in 
God,  and  with  such  indomitable  courage.  Pastor  Spur- 
geon found  opportunities  for  doing  good,  whilst  others 
are  considering  what  had  best  be  done.  He  even 
wrote  directions  "  How  to  Bear  Affliction." 

New  Year's  Lietter, 
During  the  progress  of  his  recovery  he  wrote  a 
New  Year's  Letter  to  his  ministering  brethren,  which 
commences  his  magazine  for  1870,  in  which,  with  much 
affectionate  earnestness,  he  urges  them,  even  by  special 
means,  if  ordinary  ones  fail,  to  aim  at  the  salvation  of 


SUCCESSFUL  LABORS.  99 

the  souls  of  their  congregations,  enforcing  this  duty 
upon  them  by  the  example  of  the  Ritualists,  who  are 
zealous,  working  to  spread  their  delusions,  especially 
amongst  the  poor,  with  whom  they  know  how  to 
succeed  by  bribes  of  bread  and  clothing.  He  says  he 
writes  as  a  sick  man,  but  feels  the  urgency  and  im- 
portance of  soul-winning. 

'  The  prostrate  condition  of  the  pastor's  health  for 
nearly  three  months  made  it  necessary  for  him  to 
appeal  with  his  pen  for  the  aid  of  his  friends  in  sus- 
taining the  benevolent  works  of  the  Tabernacle.  In 
March,  1870,  his  appeal  took  the  following  form : 
•'  The  pastorate  of  a  church  of  four  thousand  members, 
the  direction  of  all  its  agencies,  the  care  of  many 
churches  arising  from  the  College  work  ;  the  selection, 
education,  and  guidance  in  their  settlements  of  the 
students  ;  the  oversight  of  the  Orphanage,  theedidng 
of  a  magazine,  the  production  of  numerous  volumes, 
the  publication  of  a  weekly  sermon,  an  immense  cor- 
respondence, a  fair  share  in  public  and  denominational 
action,  and  many  other  labors,  besides  the  incessant 
preaching  of  the  Word,  give  us  a  right  to  ask  of  our 
friends  that  we  be  not  allowed  to  have  an  anxious 
thought  about  the  funds  needed   for  our  enterprises." 

Future  Punisliment. 

This  remarkable  picture  of  energy  and  activity  will 
scarcely  be  surpassed  by  any  man  living,  if  indeed  it 
can  be  equalled  by  more  than  one  in  a  million,  even 
in  this  industrious  age.  But  there  were  other  duties 
pressing  on  Mr.  Spurgeon's  mind  at  the  time,  which 


100  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON.       - 

he  could  not  throw  off.  For  some  months  previously 
a  controversy  had  been  warmly  carried  on  in  the 
columns  of  the  "  Christian  World  "  newspaper,  advo- 
cating a  curious  system  of  future  punishment  ending 
in  annihilation.  The  editor  of  the  paper  prohibited  in 
his  columns  the  publication  of  any  letters  on  the  oppo- 
site side,  excepting  only  what  Mr.  Spurgeon  might 
write.  Mr.  Spurgeon  wrote  to  the  editor,  pointing  out 
that  his  conduct  was  not  quite  frank,  and  declining 
on  his  part  to  help  the  agitation,  telling  him  that  the 
words  of  our  Lord — "  These  shall  go  away  into  ever- 
lasting punishment  " — finally  setded  the  point ;  and 
he  held  that  the  publication  of  views  which  are  op- 
posed to  that  declaration,  and  the  views  themselves, 
were  equally  dangerous. 

A  Controversy. 

Greatly  were  the  funds  of  the  college  aided  by  the 
lectures  which  its  President  gave  from  time  to  time  on 
its  behalf.  After  one  of  his  visits  to  Italy  Mr.  Spurgeon 
delivered  a  very  interesting  and  lively  lecture  on 
"  Rome,  and  what  I  saw  and  heard  there.''  Some  of 
the  reporters  for  the  daily  press — not  a  few  of  whom 
are  Jesuits — misrepresented  some  very  material  por- 
tions of  the  lecture  in  their  abridged  account.  Mr. 
Spurgeon  was  obliged  to  defend  himself;  and  what 
he  said  against  such  insidious  foes  in  the  pages  of  his 
own  magazine  led  to  another  kindred  topic  being 
brought  before  the  public  about  the  same  time,  when 
these  same  reporters  misled  the  public  mind  by  apply- 
ing to  King  Victor  Immanuel  of  Italy  a  prayer  which 


SUCCESSFUL   LABORS.  ^^^ 


belonged  only  to  Immanuel,  Victor  over  sin,  the  man 
Christ  Jesus. 

In  May,  1870,  Mr.  Spurgeon  sent  forth  a  new  work 
entitled  "  Feathers  for  Arrows,"  intended  to  supply 
preachers  and  teachers  with  useful  material  for  filling 
up  their  sermons,  lectures,  and  addresses.  Ten  diou- 
sand  copies  of  the  book  were  sold  in  three  mondis. 
The  Bible  iu  the  Public  Schools. 

The  public  mind  was  considerably  agitated  at  that 
time  by  the  acdon    of  the  School  Board  in  reference- 
to  religious  teaching  in  their  schools ;  some  wanting 
to  exchide  the  reading  of  the  Bible  from  them,  and  so 
deprive  the  upgrowing  population  of  the  use  of  the 
best  book  in   the  language.     A  large  meedng  was 
held  in  Exeter  Hall,  in  July,  in  defence  of  the  Bible 
being  daily  read  in  elementary  schools.     Mr.  Spur- 
geoiT  took  the  chair  on  the  occasion.     The  result  of 
the  meeting  was,  the  Bible  retains  its  place  as  a  daily 
school  book.     The  wisdom  of  the  decision  then  made 
has  been  abundandy  manifested  since,  and  especially 
so  by  the  great  gathering  of  Board-School  children  in 
the  CrystaT  Palace  in  July,  1877,  when  some  thousands 
of  prizes  were  publicly  given  to  the  pupils  for  pro- 
ficiency in  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  and  when  it  was 
most  convincingly  shown  that  parents  in  London  (ex- 
cepting only  a  few  Jews)  do  not  object  to  their  chil- 
dren being  taught  daily  from  the  Word  of  God. 

The  special  religious  services  held  in  February,  at 
the  Tabernacle,  were  seasons  of  much  blessing.  More 
than  one  hundred  members  were  added  to  the  church 


102  REV.  CHARLES    H.    SPURGEON. 

in  one  month.  The  people  went  to  the  services 
expecting  to  receive  good,  and  they  were  not  disap- 
pointed. 

Severe  Attack  of  Gout. 

Soon  after  the  annual  College  supper,  which  was 
held  in  March,  1871,  at  which  the  sum  of  seven  thou- 
sand five  hundred  dollars  was  given,  Mr.  Spurgeon 
was  laid  aside  by  a  more  than  usually  severe  attack  of 
gout,  which  confined  him  indoors  for  three  long,  weary 
months ;  yet  in  the  midst  of  all  his  pain  and  suffering 
he  wrote  in  July  of  the  great  mercies  he  had  received 
from  the  hand  of  God,  and  by  the  bounty  of  his  friends 
to  the  Orphanage  and  the  College.  It  was  at  the  close 
of  this  protracted  attack  of  bodily  pain  that  he  was 
privileged  to  preach  the  sermon  which  forms  No. 
1,000  of  his  published  discourses.  Its  second  title  is 
"  Bread  enough  and  to  spare,"  and  it  is  based  on 
Luke  XV.  1 7.  It  was  the  delight  of  the  pastor  to  re- 
ceive from  a  friend  five  thousand  dollars  on  behalf  of 
the  College,  in  honor  of  the  event  just  named.  Who 
would  not  pray  that  God's  blessing  may  rest  forever 
on  that  friend  ? 

Taking  the  advice  of  his  friends,  Mr.  Spurgeon  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Continent  for  a  short  tour  and  for  rest. 
His  observant  eye  was  constantly  discovering  some 
passing  beauty  which  his  ever-ready  pencil  recorded 
in  his  note-book,  a  book  which  contains  a  store  of 
incidents  which  serve  to  enrich  his  conversation  and 
fill  up  his  magazine.  Accordingly,  taking  Jersey  and 
Guernsey  on  his  way,  we  find  before  the  end  of  the 


SUCCESSFUL   LABORS.  103 

year  an  interesting  article  from  his  pen,  on  St.  Bre- 

lade's  Bay. 

Pilgrimag-e  to  Sunny  Italy. 

As  the  cold  raw  winter  weather  set  in,  the  beloved 
pastor  was  u  rged  by  his  friends  to  seek  a  warmer  climate. 
Illness  in  a  severe  form  again  overtook  him,  on  the 
secondday  of  which  he  received  a  telegram  from  Boston, 
America,  offerinof  most  liberal  terms  to  him  if  he  would 
go  to  that  country  and  deliver  a  series  of  lectures.  So 
large  a  sum  would  have  been  a  strong  temptation  to 
most  men,  but  not  so  to  this  minister  of  Jesus  Christ, 
whose  prompt  reply  was,  "  he  had  neither  time  nor 
strength  to  go  to  America."  Instead  of  journeying 
westward  for  personal  gain,  he  started  on  a  pilgrimage 
to  sunny  Italy  and  the  South  of  France,  taking  what 
he  designated  a  Scriptural  holiday,  a  forty  days'  rest. 
Accordingly,  leaving  gloomy  December  in  England, 
he  spent  that  month  in  visiting  Pompeii,  Venice,  Flor- 
ence, Rome,  Naples,  and  France — a  fitting  holiday 
after  having  completed  nineteen  years'  labor  in  Lon- 
don. 

In  taking  a  survey  of  the  work  of  the  year,  for  the 
preface  to  his  magazine,  Mr.  Spurgeon  sums  up  the 
record  by  saying  it  had  been  a  year  of  spiritual  drought 
in  the  churches  generally,  but  at  the  Tabernacle  they 
had  witnessed  much  prosperity,  and  the  trained  pas- 
tors who  had  gone  out  from  them  had  been  also 
blessed  in  like  manner.  Eleven  students  were 
appointed  to  pastoral  duty  during  1872.  During  this 
year,   also,   Archibald  G.    Brown   opened    his   large 


104  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

Tabernacle  in  the  East  of  London.  It  is  a  building 
for  extent  and  variety  of  Christian  work  second  only 
to  Mr.  Spurgeon's.  Mr.  Brown  is  one  of  the  most 
successful  students  trained  in  the  Pastors'  Colleg^e. 

Results  of  Overwork. 

In  the  hope  that  the  genial  sunshine  of  Southern 
Europe,  in  which  he  has  passed  out  of  the  old  into  the 
new  year,  would  have  established  his  health  for  re- 
newed efforts,  the  pastor  appeared  once  more  at  the 
Tabernacle,  and  at  the  church  meeting  in  January, 
1873,  he  had  the  gratification  of  finding  one  hundred 
and  thirty-five  new  members  to  be  received  into  fellow- 
ship, thus  demonstrating  that  there  was  life  in  the 
church,  though  its  chief  pastor  had  been  away.  The 
cold,  raw%  damp  weather  continuing  with  the  new  year, 
he  was  again  prevented  from  leaving  his  own  honie, 
and  for  many  weeks  he  was  unable  to  preach  on  the 
Sabbath.  How  orreat  a  trial  that  silence  was  to  the 
preacher,  none  so  well  knew  as  himself  Sorrowing 
greatly  at  the  privation  both  to  himself  and  his  church, 
he  yet  submitted  without  murmur  to  the  will  of  God. 

Shut  in  from  the  outer  world,  he  had  an  opportunity 
of  surveying  the  progress  of  the  work  which  was  be- 
ing done  at  the  Tabernacle.  The  College  reports  ex- 
hibited the  outposts  which  had  already  been  reached 
by  the  students,  one  of  whom  w^as  laboring  to  set 
forth  Jesus  as  the  only  Saviour  of  sinners,  in  China; 
one  in  Sydney,  one  in  Tasmania,  one  in  Adelaide,  two 
in  Madrid,  one  in  Ontario,  one  in  Ohio,  one  in  Phila- 
delphia, one   in    South   Africa,  and  one   in   Toronto. 


SUCCESSFUL   LABORS.  105 

What  a  vast  prospect  of  work  to  be  done  in  the  inter- 
mediate spaces  between  each  one  of  those  missionary 
agents  and  the  Tabernacle  ! 

Thousauds  of  Churcli  3Ieiribers. 

At  the  Annual  Church  Meeting  held  in  Februar}^ 
1873,  the  total  membership  was  reported  at  4,417. 
The  losses  during  the  previous  year  had  been  263, 
the  additions  were  571,  leaving  a  net  increase  for  the 
year  of  308  living  members.  Well  might  both  pastor 
and  deacons  rejoice  at  the  presence  of  the  Lord  God 
in  their  midst.  At  this  date  came  a  renewed  applica- 
tion from  the  United  States  to  come  over  and  lecture. 
Note  the  preacher's  reply :  'An  American  firm  offer 
Mr.  Spurgeon  t\vent}''-five  thousand  dollars  to  deliver 
twenty-five  lectures  in  that  country,  at  one  thousand 
dollars  each,  and  further  arrangements  can  be  made 
for  one  hundred  lectures.  Althouorh  the  remuneration 
offered  is  very  far  beyond  anything  our  beloved  peo- 
ple are  likely  to  give  us,  we  prefer  to  have  the  gospel 
according  to  our  Lord's  words  preached  freely,  rather 
than  to  use  the  Lord's  time  for  earning  money  for  our 
own  purse." 

Fisk  Jubilee  Singers. 

Always  sympathizing  with  the  oppressed,  it  did  not 
surprise  any  one  to  learn  that  the  Fisk  Jubilee  Singers 
received  an  early  invitation  from  the  pastor  and  dea- 
cons to  give  one  of  their  concerts  in  the  Metropolitan 
Tabernacle.  It  would  be  difficult  to  determine  which 
party  experienced  the  most  delight,  the  colored  sing- 
ers to  go  and  see  and  hear  Mr.  Spurgeon  speak  in  his 


106  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

own  church,  or  his  congregation  to  welcome,  with  all 
the  heartiness  they  could  manifest,  those  liberated 
slaves,  whose  vocal  powers  had  by  anticipation  pre- 
ceded their  visit,  to  insure  them  a  hearty  greeting.  It 
was  indeed  a  pleasant  hour,  that  which  introduced  the 
singers  to  the  vast  mass  of  people  which  crowded 
every  inch  of  space  in  the  building  to  hear  them.  In- 
deed, hundreds  had  to  go  away,  unable  to  crowd  in 
anywhere  within  sight  or  hearing.  And  the  collection 
which  followed  it  was  right  royal  in  amount.  They 
cleared  about  eleven  hundred  dollars  for  their  Univer- 
sity by  singing  at  the  Tabernacle  alone. 

The  effect  on  the  mind  of  the  pastor  himself,  he 
thus  describes  in  his  own  magrazine  :  "  The  melodies 
were  rendered  by  our  emancipated  friends  in  a  man- 
ner altogether  unique  :  we  have  never  heard  anything 
like  it  J  pure  nature  untrammelled  by  rule,  pouring 
forth  its  notes  as  freely  as  the  wild  birds  in  the  spring. 
The  people  were  charmed :  our  intercourse  with  the 
choir  was  very  pleasant.''  As  soon  as  the  singers 
arrived  in  London  on  their  second  tour,  they  received 
an  earnest  invitation  to  repeat  their  visit  to  the  Metro- 
politan Tabernacle. 

Pointed  Preaching. 

As  the  practical  pastor  was  again  charged  widi  be- 
ing  too  personal  in  preaching,  in  one  of  his  articles 
on  "Personal  preaching,"  Mr.  Spurgeon  remarks: 
"  We  aim  at  speaking  personally  and  pointedly  to  all 
our  hearers ;  and  they  are  the  best  judges  whether 
we  accomplish  it,  and  also  as  to  whether  we  use  Ian- 


SUCCESSFUL   LABORS.  107 

juage  at  which  any  man  ought  to  be  offended.  Very 
seldom  does  a  week  occur  without  our  receiving  let- 
ters from  persons  unknown  to  us,  thanking  us  for 
idvising  or  comforting  them  in  our  sermons,  the  par- 
ties evidently  being  under  the  impression  that  some 
friend  had  communicated  their  cases  to  us,  though, 
indeed,  we  knew  nothing  whatever  of  them.  Fre- 
quently we  have  had  apologetic  notes  acknowledging 
the  justice  of  the  rebuke,  and  correcting  us  in  some 
minor  details  of  a  description  supposed  to  refer  to  a 
special  sinner;  whereas  we  were  unaware  of  the  writer's 
existence.  We  have  ceased  to  regard  these  incidents 
as  curious,  for  we  remember  that  the  Word  of  God 
is   'a  discerner  of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the 

heart.' " 

A  Rally  for  Missions. 

Strange  and  interesting  facts  have  often  reached 
him.  At  the  commencement  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's  min- 
istry he  related  having  received  a  letter  from  a  poor 
shoemaker  during  the  week,  who  said  that  he  was  the 
man  who  had  kept  his  shop  open  on  the  Sunday,  who 
had  sold  only  one  pair  of  old  boots  for  one-and-eight~ 
pence,  and  that,  having  broken  the  Sabbath  for  so 
small  a  sum  and  been  so  publicly  exposed,  none  but 
God  could  have  told  the  facts  to  the  preacher,  he  had 
resolved  to  break  the  Sabbath  no  longer.  He  became 
converted,  and  joined  the  church;  but  the  preacher 
had  no  knowledge  of  the  man  till  he  wrote  about  him- 
self. 

During  the  spring  weather  of  '''jt,  Mr.   Spurgeon 


108  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

did  not  recover  his  accustomed  health,  neither  did  he 
give  up  his  accustomed  work,  excepting  when  really 
unable  to  leave  home.  At  the  end  of  April  he 
preached  one  of  the  annual  sermons  before  the  Wes- 
leyan  Missionary  Society,  in  Great  Queen-street 
Chapel,  to  the  largest  congregation  ever  assembled 
on  a  similar  occasion,  at  the  close  of  which  the  collec- 
tion reached  an  amount  oreater  than  had  ever  before 
been  made  for  that  object. 

In  June  he  took  part  in  the  services  connected  with 
laying  memorial  stones  for  a  new  Baptist  chapel  near 
his  own  residence  at  Clapham,  He  stated  that  it  had 
long  been  in  his  heart  to  build  a  chapel  in  that  locality, 
and  he  had  laid  aside  one  thousand  dollars  to  com- 
mence the  work,  but  all  his  efforts  had  failed.  He 
was  glad  that  others  were  doing  what  he  had  not  been 
able  to  do.  He  had  himself  been  delighted  that  year 
to  preach  for  the  Wesleyans,  and  to  speak  for  the  In- 
dependents ;  but  he  urged  all  Baptists  residing  in  that 
district  to  give  to  the  church  which  intended  to  assem- 
ble in  that  new  erection.  In  the  early  part  of  the  year 
Mr.  Spurgeon  had  made  a  collection  at  the  Tabernacle 
on  behalf  of  the  new  Surrey  Chapel  for  Mr.  Newman 
Hall,  which  reached  five  hundred  dollars. 

Laying^  a  Corner  Stone. 

In  taking  a  survey  of  the  literary  work  of  "The 
Sword  and  the  Trowel ''  for  the  year,  the  editor  in  his 
preface  for  1873  remarks:  "I  have  been  hunting  up 
topics  of  interest  with  no  small  degree  of  anxiety, 
sending  forth  the  magazine  with  earnest  desires  to  win 


SUCCESSFUL  LABORS.  109 

a  hearing  and  to  produce  good  results  of  all  kinds.  I 
edit  the  periodical  most  conscientiously,  giving  it  my 
personal  attention,  and  I  spare  no  pains  to  make  it  as 
good  as  I  can." 

The  applications  made  to  the  College  for  pastors 
during  1873  were  more  numerous  than  had  before 
been  made.  Thirty  of  these  were  supplied.  Out  of 
that  number  two  were  sent  to  Spain,  one  to  India,  one 
to  China,  one  to  Prince  Edward  Island,  one  to  Ireland, 
and  one  to  Scotland.  On  the  14th  of  October  the 
foundation-stone  of  the  new  College  buildings  was 
laid  by  the  President.  It  was  a  day  which  will  long 
be  remembered  with  delight.  The  people  on  the  oc- 
casion gave  five  thousand  dollars,  and  the  students 
gave  fifteen  hundred  more  ;  but  the  chief  joy  of  the 
day  was  the  whole-day  prayer-meeting  which  the  stu- 
dents held,  that  the  divine  blessing  might  rest  on  the 
work,  and  upon  all  connected  with  the  College. 

The  month  of  January,  1879,  will  long  be  remem- 
bered. Having  completed  the  twenty-fifth  year  of  his 
pastorate,  it  was  decided  to  celebrate  the  occasion, 
which  was  termed  The  Pastoral  Silver  Wedding,  by 
presenting  Mr.  Spurgeon  with  a  liberal  testimonial. 
The  amount  proposed  to  be  raised  was  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars.  A  large  bazaar  was  opened,  which 
was  well  supported,  and  with  the  subscription  lists  the 
proceeds  exceeded  the  amount  originally  proposed. 

With  his  usual  large-heartedness  he  declined  accept- 
ing the  amount  for  his  private  benefit.  There  was 
one  important  institution  connected  with  the  Taber- 


110  EEV.    CHARLES    H.    SPUEGEON. 

nacle  that  needed  to  be  placed  on  a  surer  footing,  and 
this  was  a  fitting  opportunity  for  securing  that  end. 
The  Almshouses,  affording  homes  for  nineteen  poor 
widows,  required  a  more  permanent  support,  and  all 
the  proceeds  of  the  "  Pastoral  Silver  Wedding  Fund  " 
were  devoted  to  this  laudable  object,  thereby  insuring 
its  future  maintenance. 


CHAPTER  VL 
The  Pastors'  College. 

Th«  first  Student. — Call  for  Preachers  to  the  Masses. — A  Faithful  Instructor. — 
Growth  of  the  College. — Efforts  to  Secure  Funds. — Generous  Gifts. — Un- 
known Benefactor. — Provision  for  Students. — Opinion  of  Earl  Shaftesbury. — 
New  Churches  Founded. — Mr.  Spurgeon's  Annual  Report. — Milk  and  Water 
Theol<^y. — Rough  Diamonds. — Course  of  Study. — Earnest  Workers. — A 
Mission  Band. — Interesting  Letters. — Help  for  Neglected  Fields. 

In  the  early  part  of  his  career  Mr.  Spurgeon 
founded  a  school  for  the  education  of  young  men  for 
the  ministry.  It  has  been  a  very  successful  institution, 
the  training  place  of  a  large  number  who  have  gone 
forth,  some  of  them  even  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  bear- 
ing the  "  glad  tidings."  The  object,  methods  and  results 
of  the  school  are  stated  by  Mr.  Spurgeon  as  follows : 

The  College  was  the  first  important  institution  com- 
menced by  the  pastor,  and  it  still  remains  his  first-born 
and  best-beloved.  To  train  ministers  of  the  gospel 
is  a  most  excellent  work,  and  when  the  Holy  Spirit 
blesses  the  effort,  the  result  is  of  the  utmost  impor- 
tance both  to  the  Church  and  to  the  world. 

The  Pastors'  College  commenced  in  1856,  and  dur- 
ing this  long  period  has  unceasingly  been  remembered 
of  the  God  of  heaven,  to  whom  all  engfafred  in  it  offer 
reverent  thanksgiving.  When  it  was  commenced,  I 
had  not  even  a  remote  idea  of  whereunto  it  would 

(111) 


112  REV.   CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

grow.  There  were  springing  up  around  me,  as  my 
own  spiritual  children,  many  earnest  young  men  who 
felt  an  irresistible  impulse  to  preach  the  gospel,  and 
yet  with  half  an  eye  it  could  be  seen  that  their  want 
of  education  would  be  a  sad  hindrance  to  them.  It 
was  not  in  my  heart  to  bid  them  cease  preaching,  and 
had  I  done  so,  they  would  in  all  probability  have 
ignored  my  recommendation.  As  it  seemed  that 
preach  they  would,  though  their  attainments  were  very 
slender,  no  other  course  was  open  but  to  give  them 
an  opportunity  to  educate  themselves  for  the  work. 

A  Young  Apollos. 

The  Holy  Spirit  very  evidently  had  set  His  seal 
upon  the  work  of  one  of  them,  by  conversions 
wrought  under  his  open-air  addresses;  it  seemed 
therefore  to  be  a  plain  matter  of  duty  to  instruct  this 
youthful  Apollos  still  further,  that  he  might  be  fitted 
for  wider  usefulness.  No  college  at  that  time  ap- 
peared to  me  to  be  suitable  for  the  class  of  men  that 
the  providence  and  grace  of  God  drew  around  me. 
They  were  mostly  poor,  and  most  of  the  colleges  in- 
volved necessarily  a  considerable  outlay  to  the  student; 
for  even  where  the  education  was  free,  books,  clothes, 
and  other  incidental  expenses  required  a  considerable 
sum  per  annum.  Moreover,  it  must  be  frankly  ad- 
mitted that  my  views  of  the  gospel  and  of  the  mode  of 
training  preachers  were  and  are  somewhat  peculiar. 
I  may  have  been  uncharitable  in  my  judgment,  but 
I  thought  the  Calvinism  of  the  theology  usually 
taught  to  be  very  doubtful,  and  the  fervor  of  the 


o 

o 
u 

So 

o 

H 
en 
<1 

Pi 

K 


(113) 


ll"*  EEV.   CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

generality  of  the  students  to  be  far  behind  their  liter- 
ary attainments. 

Preachers  for  the  Masses. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  preachers  of  the  grand  old 
truths  of  the  gospel,  ministers  suitable  for  the  masses, 
were  more  likely  to  be  found  in  an  institution  where 
preaching  and  divinity  would  be  the  main  objects,  and 
not  degrees  and  other  insignia  of  human  learning.  I 
felt  that,  without  interfering  with  the  laudable  objects 
of  other  colleges,  I  could  do  good  in  my  own  way. 
These  and  other  considerations  led  me  to  take  a  few 
tried  young  men,  and  to  put  them  under  some  able 
minister,  that  he  might  train  them  in  the  Scriptures, 
and  in  other  knowledge  helpful  to  the  understanding 
and  proclamation  of  the  truth.  This  step  appeared 
plain ;  but  how  the  work  was  to  be  conducted  and 
supported  was  the  question — a  question,  be  it  added, 
solved  almost  before  it  occurred. 

Two  friends,  both  deacons  of  the  church,  promised 
aid,  which,  with  what  I  could  give  myself,  enabled  me 
to  take  one  student,  and  I  set  about  to  find  a  tutor. 
In  Mr.  George  Rogers,  God  sent  us  the  very  best 
man.  He  had  been  preparing  for  such  work,  and  was 
anxiously  waiting  for  it. 

An  Able  Tutor. 

This  gentleman,  who  has  remained  during  all  this 
period  our  principal  tutor,  is  a  man  of  Puritanic  stamp, 
deeply  learned,  orthodox  in  doctrine,  judicious,  witty, 
devout,  earnest,  liberal  in  spirit,  and  withal  juvenile  ir« 
heart  to  an  extent  most  remarkable  in  one  of  his  years. 


THE   pastors'   college.  115 

My  connection  with  him  has  been  one  of  uninter- 
rupted comfort  and  dehght.  The  most  sincere  affec- 
tion exists  between  us ;  we  are  of  one  mind  and  of 
one  heart;  and,  what  is  equally  important,  he  has  in 
every  case  secured  not  merely  the  respect  but  the 
filial  love  of  every  student.  Into  this  beloved  minis- 
ter's house  the  first  students  were  introduced,  and  for 
a  considerable  period  they  were  domiciled  as  members 
of  his  family. 

Encouraged  by  the  readiness  with  which  the  young 
men  found  spheres  of  labor,  and  by  their  singular 
success  in  soul-winning,  I  enlarged  the  number;  but 
the  whole  means  of  sustaining  them  came  from  my 
own  purse.  The  large  sale  of  my  sermons  in  America, 
together  with  my  dear  wife's  economy,  enabled  me  to 
spend  from  three  thousand  dollars  to  four  thousand 
dollars  in  a  year  in  my  own  favorite  work ;  but  on  a 
sudden,  owing  to  my  denunciations  of  the  then  exist- 
ing slavery  in  the  States,  my  entire  resources  from 
that  "  brook  Cherith  "  were  dried  up. 

Slinnuing-  Debt. 

I  paid  as  large  sums  as  I  could  from  my  own  in- 
come, and  resolved  to  spend  all  I  had,  and  then  take 
the  cessation  of  my  means  as  a  voice  from  the  Lord 
to  stay  the  effort,  as  I  am  firmly  persuaded  that  we 
ought  under  no  pretence  to  go  into  debt.  On  one 
occasion  I  proposed  the  sale  of  my  horse  and  car- 
riage, although  these  were  almost  absolute  necessities 
to  me  on  account  of  my  continual  journeys  in  preach- 
ing the  Word.     This  my  friend  Mr.  Rogers  would  not 


116  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

hear  of,  and  actually  offered  to  be  the  loser  rather  than 
this  should  be  done. 

Then  it  was  that  I  told  my  difficulties  to  my  people, 
and  the  weekly  offering  commenced ;  but  the  incom- 
ings from  that  source  were  so  meagre  as  to  be  hardly 
worth  calculating  upon.  I  was  brought  to  the  last 
pound,  when  a  letter  came  from  a  banker  in  the  City, 
informing  me  that  a  lady,  whose  name  I  have  never 
been  able  to  discover,  had  deposited  a  sum  of  one 
thousand  dollars,  to  be  used  for  the  education  of 
young  men  for  the  ministry.  How  did  my  heart  leap 
for  joy !  I  threw  myself  then  and  henceforth  upon 
the  bounteous  care  of  the  Lord,  whom  I  desired  with 
my  whole  heart  to  glorify  by  this  effort.  Some  weeks 
after,  another  five  hundred  dollars  came  in,  from  the 
same  bank,  as  I  was  informed,  from  another  hand. 

The  College  Grows. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Phillips,  a  beloved  deacon  of  the 
church  at  the  Tabernacle,  began  to  provide  an  annual 
supper  for  the  friends  of  the  College,  at  which  con- 
siderable sums  have  from  year  to  year  been  given.  A 
dinner  was  also  given  by  my  liberal  publishers,  Messrs, 
Passmore  and  Alabaster,  to  celebrate  the  publishing 
of  my  five-hundredth  weekly  sermon,  at  which  twenty- 
five  hundred  dollars  were  raised  and  presented  to  the 
funds.  The  College  grew  every  month,  and  the 
number  of  students  rapidly  advanced  from  one  to 
forty.  Friends  known  and  unknown,  from  far  and 
near,  were  moved  to  give  little  or  much  to  my  work, 


THE  pastors'  college.  117 

and  so  the  funds  Increased  as  die  need  enlarged. 
Then  anodier  earnest  deacon  of  the  church  espoused 
as  his  special  work  the  weekly  offering,  and  by  the 
unanimous  voice  of  the  church  under  my  care  the 
College  was  adopted  as  its  own  child.  Since  that 
hour  the  weekly  offering  has  been  a  steady  source  of 
income,  till  in  the  year  1869  the  amount  reached  ex- 
actly/i, 869  ($9,345)- 

The  Trial  of  Faith. 

There  have  been  during  this  period  times  of  great 
trial  of  my  faith ;  but  after  a  season  of  straitness, 
never  amounting  to  absolute  want,  the  Lord  has  always 
interposed  and  sent  me  large  sums  (on  one  occasion 
five  thousand  dollars)  from  unknown  donors.  When 
the  Orphanage  was  thrust'  upon  me,  it  did  appear 
likely  that  this  second  work  would  drain  the  resources 
of  the  first,  and  it  is  very  apparent  that  it  does  attract 
to  itself  some  of  the  visible  sources  of  supply ;  but 
my  faith  is  firm  that  the  Lord  can  as  readily  keep 
both  works  in  action  as  one.  My  own  present  in- 
ability to  do  so  much,  by  way  of  preaching  abroad, 
occasions  naturally  the  failure  of  another  great  source 
of  income ;  and  as  my  Increasing  labors  at  home  will 
in  all  probability  diminish  that  stream  In  perpetuity, 
there  Is  another  trial  of  faith. 

Yet,  If  the  Lord  wills  the  work  to  be  continued,  He 
will  send  His  servant  a  due  portion  of  the  gold  and 
silver,  which  are  all  His  own  ;  and  therefore  as  I  wait 
upon  Him  in  prayer,  the  All-sufficient  Provider  will 


118  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

supply  all  my  needs.  About  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars  is  annually  required  for  the  College,  and  the 
same  sum  is  needed  for  the  Orphanage;  but  God  will 
move  His  people  to  liberality,  and  we  shall  see  greater 
things  than  these. 

An  Unknown  Benefactor. 

While  speaking  of  pecuniary  matters,  it  may  be 
well  to  add  that,  as  many  of  the  young  men  trained 
in  the  Colleoe  have  raised  new  concrreofations  and 
gathered  fresh  churches,  another  need  has  arisen — 
namely,  money  for  building  chapels.  It  is  ever  so  in 
Christ's  work ;  one  link  draws  on  another,  one  effort 
makes  another  needed.  For  chapel-building,  the 
College  funds  could  do  but  little,  though  they  have 
freely  been  used  to  support  men  while  they  are  col- 
lecting congregations  ;  but  the  Lord  found  for  me  one 
of  His  stewards,  who,  on  the  condition  that  his  name 
remains  unknown,  has  hitherto,  as  the  Lord  has  pros- 
pered him,  supplied  very  princely  amounts  for  the 
erection  of  places  of  w^orship,  of  which  more  than 
forty  have  been  built,  or  so  gready  renovated  and  en- 
larged as  to  be  virtually  new  structures.  Truly  may 
it  be  said,  "  What  hath  God  wrought !  " 

Pecuniary  needs,  however,  have  made  up  but  a 
small  part  of  our  cares.  Many  have  been  my  per- 
sonal exercises  in  selecting  the  men.  Candidates 
have  always  been  plentiful,  and  the  choice  has  been 
wide ;  but  it  is  a  serious  responsibility  to  reject  any, 
and  yet  more  to  accept  them  for  training.     When 


THE   pastors'    college. 


119 


mistakes  have  been  made,  a  second  burden  has  been 
laid  upon  me  in  the  dismissal  of  those  who  appeared 
to  be  unfit.  Even  with  the  most  careful  management, 
and  all  the  assistance  of  tutors  and  friends,  no  human 
foresight  can  secure  that  in  every  case  a  man  shall  be 
what  we  believed  and  hoped. 

Weak  Brethren. 

A  brother  may  be  exceedingly  useful  as  an  occa- 
sional preacher;  he  may  distinguish  himself  as  a 
diligent  student;  he  may  succeed  at  first  in  the  min- 
istry; and  yet,  when  trials  of  temper  and  character 
occur  in  the  pastorate,  he  may  be  found  wanting.  We 
have  had  comparatively  few  causes  for  regret  of  this 
sort,  but  there  have  been  some  such,  and  these  pierce 
us  with  many  sorrows.  I  devoutly  bless  God  that  He 
has  sent  to  the  College  some  of  the  holiest,  soundest, 
and  most  self-denying  preachers  I  know,  and  I  pray 
that  He  may  continue  to  do  so ;  but  it  would  be  more 
than  a  miracle  if  all  should  excel. 

While  thus  speaking  of  trials  connected  with  the 
men  themselves,  it  is  due  to  our  gracious  God  to  bear 
testimony  that  these  have  been  comparatively  light, 
and  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  great 
joy  which  we  experience  in  seeing  so  many  brethren 
still  serving  the  Lord  according  to  their  measure  of 
gift,  and  all,  it  is  believed,  earnestly  contending  for 
the  faith  once  delivered  unto  the  saints ;  nor  is  the 
joy  less  In  remembering  that  eleven  have  sweedy 
fallen  asleep  after  having  fought  a  good  fight.     At 


120  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

this  hour  some  of  our  most  flourishing  Baptist 
churches  are  presided  over  by  pastors  trained  in  our 
College,  and  as  years  shall  add  ripeness  of  experience 
and  stability  of  character,  others  will  be  found  to 
stand  in  the  front  rank  of  the  Lord's  host. 
Separate  Lodgings. 

The  young  brethren  are  boarded  generally,  in  twos 
and  threes,  in  the  houses  of  our  friends  around  the 
Tabernacle,  for  which  the  College  pays  a  moderate 
weekly  amount.  The  plan  of  separate  lodging  we 
believe  to  be  far  preferable  to  having  all  under  one 
roof;  for,  by  the  latter  mode,  men  are  isolated  from 
general  family  habits,  and  are  too  apt  to  fall  into 
superabundant  levity.  The  circumstances  of  the 
families  who  entertain  our  young  friends  are  generally 
such  that  they  are  not  elevated  above  the  social 
position  which  in  all  probability  they  will  have  to 
occupy  in  future  years,  but  are  kept  in  connection 
with  the  struggles  and  conditions  of  every-day  life. 

Devotional  habits  are  cultivated  to  the  utmost,  and 
the  students  are  urofed  to  do  as  much  evano-elistic  work 
as  they  can.  The  severe  pressure  put  upon  them  to 
make  the  short  term  as  useful  as  possible,  leaves  small 
leisure  for  such  efforts,  but  this  is  in  most  instances 
faithfully  economized.  Although  our  usual  period  is 
two  years,  whenever  it  is  thought  right  the  term  of 
study  is  lengthened  to  three  or  four  years ;  indeed, 
there  is  no  fixed  rule,  all  arrangements  being  ordered 
by  the  circumstances  and  attainments  of  each  indi- 
vidual. 


THE   pastors'   college.  121 

Fields  White  for  the  Harvest. 

As  before  hinted,  our  numbers  have  greatly  grown, 
and  now  range  from  eighty  to  one  hundred.  Very 
promising  men,  who  are  suddenly  thrown  in  our  way, 
are  received  at  any  time,  and  others  who  are  selected 
from  the  main  body  of  applicants  come  in  at  the  com- 
mencement of  terms.  The  church  at  the  Tabernacle 
continues  to  furnish  a  large  quota  of  men,  and  as  these 
have  usually  been  educated  for  two  or  more  years  in 
our  Evening  Classes,  they  are  more  advanced  and 
better  able  to  profit  by  our  two  years  of  study.  We 
have  no  difficulty  in  finding  spheres  for  men  who  are 
ready  and  fitted  for  them.  There  is  no  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  the  supply  of  trained  ministers  is  in  advance 

of  the  demand. 

Able  Educators. 

Even  on  the  lowest  eround  of  consideration,  there 
is  yet  very  much  land  to  be  possessed  ;  and  when  men 
break  up  fresh  soil,  as  ours  are  encouraged  to  do,  the 
field  is  the  world,  and  the  prayer  for  more  laborers  is 
daily  more  urgent.  If  the  Lord  would  but  send  us 
funds  commensurate,  there  are  hundreds  of  neighbor- 
hoods needing  the  pure  gospel,  which  we  could  by  His 
grace  change  from  deserts  into  gardens.  How  far 
this  is  a  call  upon  the  reader  let  him  judge  as  in  the 
sight  of  God.  Shall  there  be  the  gifts  and  graces  of 
the  Spirit  given  to  the  Church,  and  shall  there  not 
also  be  sufficient  bestowed  of  the  earthly  treasure? 
How  much  owest  thou  unto  my  Lord  ? 

The  College  was  for  some  little  time  aided  by  the 


122  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

zealous  services  of  Mr.  W.  Cubitt,  of  Thrapstone, 
who  died  among  us,  enjoying  our  highest  esteem. 
Mr.  Gracey,  the  classical  tutor,  a  most  able  brother,  is 
one  of  ourselves,  and  was  in  former  years  a  student, 
though  from  possessing  a  solid  education  he  needed 
little  instruction  from  us  except  in  theology.  In  him 
we  have  one  of  the  most  efficient  tutors  living,  a  man 
fitted  for  any  post  requiring  thorough  scholarship  and 
aptness  in  communicating  knowledge.  Mr.  Fergusson, 
in  the  English  elementary  classes,  does  the  first  work 
upon  the  rough  stones  of  the  quarry,  and  we  have 
heard,  from  the  men  whom  he  has  taught  in  the  Even- 
ino-  Classes,  speeches  and  addresses  which  would  have 
adorned  any  assembly,  proving  to  demonstration  his 
ability  to  cope  with  the  difficulties  of  uncultured  and 
ignorant  minds.  Mr.  Johnson,  who  zealously  aids  in 
the  evening,  is  also  a  brother  precisely  suited  to  the 
post  which  he  occupies. 

These  Evening  Classes  afford  an  opportunity  to 
Christian  men  engaged  during  the  day  to  obtain  an 
education  for  nothing  during  their  leisure  time,  and 
very  many  avail  themselves  of  the  privilege.  Nor 
must  I  forget  to  mention  Mr.  Selway,  who  takes  the 
department  of  physical  science,  and  by  his  interesting 
experiments  and  lucid  descriptions  gives  to  his  listen- 
ers an  introduction  to  those  departments  of  knowledge 
which  most  abound  with  illustrations.  Last,  but  far 
from  least,  I  adore  the  goodness  of  God  which  sent 
me  so  dear  and  efficient  a  fellow-helper  as  my  brother 
in  the  flesh  and  in  the  Lord,  J.  A.  Spurgeon.     His 


THE  pastors'  college.  128 

work  has  greatly  relieved  me  of  anxiety,  and  his  su- 
perior educational  qualifications  have  tended  to  raise 
the  tone  of  the  instruction  given. 

!Earl  of  Shaftesbury's  Testimony. 

As  to  the  quality  of  the  preachers  whom  we  have 
been  enabled  to  send  forth,  we  need  no  more  impartial 
witness  than  the  good  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  who  was 
kind  enough  to  express  himself  publicly  in  the  follow- 
ing generous  terms : 

"  It  was  an  utter  fallacy  to  suppose  that  the  people 
of  England  would  ever  be  brought  to  a  sense  of  order 
and  discipline  by  the  repetition  of  miserable  services, 
by  bits  of  wax  candle,  by  rags  of  Popery,  and  by  gym- 
nastics in  the  chancel ;  nothing  was  adapted  to  meet 
the  wants  of  the  people  but  the  Gospel  message 
brought  home  to  their  hearts,  and  he  knew  of  none 
who  had  done  better  service  in  this  evangelic  work 
than  the  pupils  trained  in  Mr.  Spurgeon's  College. 
They  had  a  singular  faculty  for  addressing  the  popu- 
lation, and  going  to  the  very  heart  of  the  people." 

Each  year  the  brethren  educated  at  the  Pastors' 
College  are  invited  to  meet  in  conference  at  the  Taber- 
nacle, and  they  are  generously  entertained  by  our 
friends.  The  week  is  spent  in  holy  fellowship,  prayer, 
and  intercourse.  By  this  means  men  in  remote  vil- 
lages, laboring  under  discouraging  circumstances  and 
ready  to  sink  from  loneliness  of  spirit,  are  encouraged 
and  strengthened :  indeed,  all  the  men  confess  that  a 
stimulus  is  thus  given  which  no  other  means  could 
confer. 


124  .  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

Breaking-  up  New  Soil. 

All  things  considered,  gratitude  and  hope  are  sux 
preme  in  connection  with  the  Pastors'  College ;  and 
with  praise  to  God  and  thanks  to  a  thousand  friends, 
the  president  and  his  helpers  gird  up  the  loins  of  their 
minds  for  yet  more  abundant  labors  in  the  future.  To 
every  land  we  hope  yet  to  send  forth  the  gospel  in  its 
fulness  and  purity.  We  pray  the  Lord  to  raise  up 
missionaries  among  our  students  and  make  every  one 
a  winner  of  souls.  Brethren,  remember  this  work  in 
your  prayers,  and  in  your  allotment  of  the  Lord's  por- 
tion of  your  substance. 

When  the  necessity  for  new  college  buildings  was 
plainly  indicated,  a  friend  in  May,  1873,  sent  $5,000 
towards  that  object.  On  October  14,  1873,  the  foun- 
dation-stone of  those  buildings  was  laid,  when  the 
people  contributed  $5,000,  the  students  gave  $1,500, 
and  undertook  to  raise  the  amount  to  $5,000.  In  1874 
Messrs.  Cory  and  Sons,  of  Cardiff,  sent  for  the  benefit 
of  the  fund  $5,000  worth  of  paid-up  shares  in  their 
colliery  company.  In  July,  1875,  the  president  re- 
ceived $25,000  for  the  same  object  as  a  legacy  from 
the  late  Mr.  Matthews.  These  are  named  as  examples 
of  the  various  ways  in  which  God  has  answered 
prayer  and  rewarded  the  faith  of  His  servant  in  that 
important  work. 

Founding  Churches. 

Shortly  before  the  new  College  buildings  were  com- 
menced, Mr.  Spurgeon,  by  an  article  in  "  The  Sword 


THE  pastors'  college.  125 

and  the  Trowel,"  directed  public  attention  to  the  insti- 
tution.    The  following  extract  will  suffice: 

The  supply  of  men  as  students  has  been  always 
large,  and  at  this  time  more  are  applying  than  ever. 
Our  one  aim  has  been  to  train  preachers  and  pastors. 
The  College  is  made  into  a  home  missionary  society 
for  the  spread  of  the  gospel.  One  of  our  students, 
Mr.  F.  E.  Suddard,  was  first,  in  1872,  among  seven 
competitors  for  one  of  Dr.  Williams'  scholarships  at 
the  Glasgow  University.  In  the  metropolis  alone, 
forty-five  churches  have  been  founded. 

One  of  the  students  has  commenced  a  cause  in 

Turk's   Island ;    he  is   now  carrying  on   evangelistic 

work   in   St.   Domingo,  where,  if  he   is  spared,  he  is 

likely  to  become  the  apostle  of  that  island,  and  also 

of  Hayti.     One  brother  has  gone  to  serve  the  Lord 

in  China,  two  others  are  laboring  in  Spain.     Several 

are  doing  a  good  work   in   Canada,  and  more  than 

twenty  brethren  have  become  pastors  in  America,  and 

seven  others  are  gone  as  far  south  as  Australia.     One 

is  a  missionary  in  India,  and  another  in  Prince  Edward 

Island. 

How  the  Money  Came. 

The  suitable  and  commodious  new  buildings,  wliich 
have  been  erected  and  furnished,  cost  about  ^75,000, 
all  of  which  is  paid.  Here  we  have  a  fine  hall,  excel- 
lent class-room,  a  handsome  library,  and,  in  fact,  all 
that  a  college  can  require.  The  way  in  which  the 
money  was  raised  was  another  instance  of  divir,e 
goodness  ;  ^15,000  was  given  as  a  memorial  to  a  dear 


126  REV.   CHARLES  H.    SPURGEON. 

and  lamented  husband ;  ^10,000  was  a  legacy  to  the 
Collegfe  from  a  reader  of  the  sermons.  The  ministers 
who  had  been  formerly  students  came  to  our  help  in  a 
princely  fashion.  Large  amounts  were  made  up  by 
the  unanimous  offerings  of  Tabernacle  friends  on  days 
when  the  pastor  invited  the  members  and  adherents 
to  be  his  guests  at  the  College.  In  answer  to  prayer, 
the  gold  and  the  silver  have  been  ready  when  needed. 
How  our  heart  exults  and  blesses  the  name  of  the 
Lord., 

The  Evening  Classes  are  In  a  high  condition  of 
prosperity,  there  being  about  two  hundred  men  in 
regular  attendance,  and  a  considerable  number  among 
them  of  hopeful  ability.  Out  of  this  class  city  mis- 
sionaries, lay  preachers,  writers  for  the  press,  and  col- 
porteurs are  continually  coming.  It  Is  an  eminently 
useful  part  of  the  College  work. 

There  are  now  hundreds  of  men  proclaiming  the 
gospel  who  have  been  trained  in  the  College.  We  are 
daily  expecting  more  missionaries  to  be  raised  up 
among  us. 

One  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's  Annual  Reports  of  the  CoUegre. 

Our  statistics,  which  are  far  from  being  complete, 
show  that  these  brethren  baptized  20,676  persons  in 
ten  years  (1865-74),  that  the  gross  increase  to  their 
churches  was  30,677,  and  the  net  Increase  19,498. 
Laus  Deo. 

On  enquiring  the  other  day  for  the  secretary  of  one 
of  our  largest  societies,  I  was  informed  that  he  had 


THE  pastors'  college.  127 

gone  to  the  seaside  for  a  month,  in  order  that  he 
might  have  quiet  to  prepare  the  report.  I  do  not 
wonder  at  this  if  he  has  aforetime  written  many  de- 
scriptions of  the  same  work,  for  every  year  increases 
the  difficulty  unless  a  man  is  prepared  to  say  the  same 
thing  over  and  over  again. 

Very  few  can,  like  Paganini,  perform  so  admirably 
on  one  string  that  everybody  is  charmed  with  the 
melody.  The  task  grows  still  harder  when  the  year 
has  been  peaceful  and  successful.  It  has  been  truly 
said,  "  Happy  is  the  nation  which  has  no  history,"  be- 
cause it  has  been  free  from  changes,  wars,  convulsions, 
and  revolutions  ;  but  I  may  remark,  on  the  other  hand, 
unhappy  is  the  historian  who  has  to  produce  a  record 
of  a  certain  length  concerning  a  period  which  has  been 
innocent  of  striking  events, — making  bricks  without 
straw  is  nothing  to  it. 

No  Milk  and  Water  Theolog-y. 

The  Pastors'  College  has  of  late  maintained  the 
even  tenor  of  its  way,  knowing  little  of  external  at- 
tack and  nothinor  of  internal  strife.  Reg^ular  in  its 
work  and  fixed  in  its  purpose,  its  movement  has  been 
calm  and  stronof.  Hence  there  are  no  thrillinor  inci- 
dents,  painful  circumstances,  or  striking  occurrences 
with  which  to  fill  my  page  and  thrill  my  reader's  soul. 
Gratitude  writ  large  is  about  the  only  material  at  hand 
out  of  which  to  fashion  my  report.  "  Bless  the  Lord, 
O  my  soul ! "  is  my  one  song,  and  I  feel  as  if  I  could 
repeat  it  a  thousand  times. 

The  College  started  with  a  definite  doctrinal  basis. 


128  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

I  never  affected  to  leave  great  questions  as  moot 
points  to  be  discussed  in  the  hall,  and  believed  or  not 
believed,  as  might  be  the  fashion  of  the  hour.  The 
creed  of  the  College  is  well  known,  and  we  invite 
none  to  enter  who  do  not  accept  it.  The  doctrines  of 
grace,  coupled  with  a  firm  belief  in  human  responsi- 
bility, are  held  with  intense  conviction,  and  those  who 
do  not  receive  them  would  not  find  themselves  at 
home  within  our  walls.  The  Lord  has  sent  us  tutors 
who  are  lovers  of  sound  doctrine  and  zealous  for  the 
truth.  No  uncertain  sound  has  been  given  forth,  at 
any  time,  and  we  would  sooner  close  the  house  than 

have  it  so. 

An  Army  of  Prophets. 

Heresy  in  colleges  means  false  doctrine  throughout 
the  churches;  to  defile  the  fountain  is  to  pollute  the 
streams.  Hesitancy,  which  might  be  tolerated  in  an 
ordinary  minister,  would  utterly  disqualify  a  teacher 
of  teachers.  The  experiment  of  Doddridge  ought  to 
satisfy  all  godly  men  that  colleges  witliout  dogmatic 
evangelical  teaching  are  more  likely  to  be  seminaries 
of  Socinianism  than  schools  of  the  prophets.  Old 
Puritanic  theology  has  been  heartily  accepted  by  those 
received  into  our  College,  and  on  leaving  it  they  have 
almost  with  one  consent  remained  faithful  to  that 
which  they  have  received.  The  men  are  before  the 
public  in  every  part  of  the  country,  and  their  testi- 
mony well  known. 

This  institution  has  now  reached  its  twenty-fifth 
year,  and  its  object,  spirit,  and  manner  of  work  remain 


THE  pastors'  college.  129 

the  same.  It  was  intended  from  the  first  to  receive 
young  men  who  had  been  preaching  for  a  sufficient 
time  to  test  their  abihties  and  their  call  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry;  and  such  young  men  have  been  forth- 
coming every  year  in  growing  numbers.  Some  bodies 
of  Christians  have  to  lament  that  their  ministry  is  not 
adequately  supplied :  I  know  of  one  portion  of  the' 
Church  which  is  sending  up  to  heaven  bitter  lamenta-* 
tlons  because  as  the  fathers  depart  to  their  rest  there 
is  scanty  hope  that  their  places  will  be  filled;  but 
among  the  Baptists  the  candidates  for  the  ministry 
are,  if  possible,  too  plentiful. 

Object  of  the  Colleg-e. 

This  is  a  new  state  of  things,  and  is  to  be  Inter- 
preted as  indicating  growth  and  zeal.  Certainly  the 
applicants  are  not  tempted  by  rich  livings,  or  even  by 
the  prospect  of  competent  support;  or,  If  they  are,  I 
take  abundant  pains  to  set  before  them  the  assured 
truth  that  they  will  fiiid  our  ministry  to  be  a  warfare 
abounding  in  long  marches  and  stern  batdes ;  but 
equally  notable  for  meagre  rations.  Still  they  come, 
and  it  needs  a  very  hard  heart  to  repel  them,  and  to 
refuse  to  eager  brethren  the  drill  and  equipment  which 
they  covet  so  earnestly.  If  it  were  wise  to  increase 
the  number  of  students,  another  hundred  of  suitable 
men  could  at  once  be  added  to  those  who  are  already 
under  tuition. 

From  the  commencement  our  main  object  was  to 
help  men  who  from  lack  of  funds  could  not  obtain  an 
education  for  themselves.     These  have  been  supplied 


130  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

not  only  with  tuition  and  books,  gratis,  but  with  board 
and  lodging,  and  in  some  cases  with  clothes  and  pocket- 
money.  Some  very  successful  brethren  needed  every- 
thing, and  if  they  had  been  required  to  pay,  they  must 
have  remained  illiterate  preachers  to  this  day.  Still, 
year  by  year,  the  number  of  men  who  are  ready  to 
support  themselves  in  whole  or  in  part  has  increased, 
and  I  believe  that  it  is  increasing  and  will  increase. 

As  a  college  we  have  had  to  struggle  with  a  repute 
based  upon  falsehood  and  created  by  jealousy;  but 
this  has  not  injured  us  to  any  great  extent ;  for  men 
come  to  us  from  America,  Australia,  and  the  Cape,  and 
applications  have  frequently  been  made  from  foreign 
countries.  German  students  have  attended  our  classes 
during  their  own  vacations,  and  members  of  other 
colleges  are  usually  to  be  seen  at  our  lectures.  The 
institution  never  deserved  to  be  charged  with  giving  a 
mere  apology  for  an  education ;  and  if  ever  that  re- 
proach could  have  been  justly  cast  upon  us,  it  is 
utterly  undeserved  now  that  the  time  of  study  has  be- 
come more  extended,  and  a  fuller  course  of  training 
has  thus  become  possible. 

Diamonds  in  the  Roug-li. 

Scholarship  for  its  own  sake  was  never  sought  and 
never  will  be  within  the  Pastors'  College  ;  but  to  help 
men  to  become  efficient  preachers  has  been  and  ever 
will  be  the  sole  aim  of  all  those  concerned  in  its  man- 
agement. I  shall  not,  in  order  to  increase  our  pres- 
tige, refuse  poor  men,  or  zealous  young  Christians 
whose   early  education    has   been    neglected.     Pride 


THE  pastors'  college.  131 

would  suggest  that  we  take  *'  a  better  class  of  men ;  " 
but  experience  shows  that  they  are  not  better,  that 
eminently  useful  men  spring  from  all  ranks,  that  dia- 
monds may  be  found  in  the  rough,  and  that  some  who 
need  most  pains  in  the  polishing  reward  our  labor  a 
thousandfold. 

My  friends  will  still  stand  by  me  in  my  desire  to  aid 
the  needy  but  pious  brother,  and  we  shall  rejoice  to- 
gether  as  we  continually  see  the  ploughman,  the  fish^ 
erman,  and  the  mechanic  taught  the  way  of  God  more 
perfectly,  and  enabled  through  divine  grace  to  pro- 
claim in  the  language  of  the  people  the  salvation  of 

our  God. 

Period  of  Preparation. 

During  the  past  year  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
men  have  been  with  us ;  but  as  some  have  come  and 
others  have  gone,  the  average  number  in  actual  resi- 
dence has  averaged  one  hundred.  Of  these  a  few 
have  been  with  us  three  years,  and  more  have  entered 
upon  the  third  year.  The  rule  is  that  a  man's  usual 
period  terminates  at  the  end  of  two  years,  and  his  re- 
maining longer  depends  upon  the  judgment  formed 
of  him.  Certain  men  will  never  get  beyond  an 
English  education,  and  to  detain  them  from  their  work 
is  to  repress  their  ardor  without  bestowing  a  compen- 
satory advantage. 

In  other  cases,  the  longer  the  period  of  study  the 
better.  Probably  the  third  year  is  to  many  a  student 
more  useful  than  the  other  two,  and  he  sfoes  forth  to 
his  life-work  more  thoroughly  prepared.     I  could  not 


132  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

lengthen  the  course  in  former  days,  when  churches 
tempted  the  brethren  away  before  the  proper  time,  as 
they  too  often  did.  They  told  these  raw  youths  that 
it  was  a  pity  to  delay,  that  if  they  left  their  studies 
souls  might  be  saved,  and  I  know  not  what  besides ; 
and  some  were  induced  to  run  away,  as  Rowland  Hill 
would  have  said,  before  they  had  pulled  their  boots  on. 
If  I  constrained  them  to  remain,  the  good  deacons  of 
the  eagfer  churches  thouorht  me  a  sort  of  a  harsh 
jailer,  who  locked  up  his  prisoners  and  would  not  give 
them  up  at  the  entreaty  of  their  friends. 
Not  a  Donkey. 

One  wrote  and  bade  me  loose  the  brother,  for  the 
Lord  had  need  of  him,  and  I  would  have  let  the  young 
man  oro  if  I  had  thought  that  he  was  one  of  the  don- 
keys  to  whom  the  passage  referred.  That  a  number 
of  brethren  may  have  entered  upon  their  ministry 
prematurely  was  no  fault  of  mine,  but  of  those  who 
tempted  them  to  quit  their  classes  too  soon.  How- 
ever, there  have  been  periods  in  which  there  is  a  lull 
in  the  demand  of  the  churches  for  ministers,  and  then 
we  have  been  able  to  retain  the  men  for  a  longer 
season.  Such  a  time  is  passing  over  us  just  now,  and 
I  do  not  regret  it,  for  I  am  persuaded  it  is  good  to 
give  the  brethren  a  longer  space  for  preparatory 
study. 

I  have  been  very  ill  through  the  greater  part  of  the 
past  year,  and  have  therefore  been  unable  to  give  so 
much  personal  service  to  the  College  as  I  have  usually 
done.     This  has  been  a  sore  trial  to  me,  but  it  has 


THE  pastors'  college.  133 

been  much  alleviated  by  my  beloved  brother,  J.  A. 
Spurgeon,  the  vice-president,  who  has  looked  after 
everything  with  great  care ;  and  I  have  also  been 
greatly  comforted  by  the  knowledge  that  the  tutors 
are  as  deeply  concerned  about  the  holy  service  as 
ever  I  can  be. 

Digging  up  the  Weeds. 

It  has  been  my  joy  to  learn  that  the  College  was 
never  in  a  better  state  in  all  respects  than  now,  and 
that  the  men  under  training  give  promise  of  becoming 
useful  preachers.  I  have  had  very  little  weeding  work 
to  do  on  my  coming  back  to  my  place,  and  those 
whom  I  have  removed  were  not  chargeable  with  any 
fault,  but  their  capacity  was  questioned  by  the  tutors. 
All  through  the  year  this  painful  operation  has  to  be 
carried  on,  and  it  always  causes  me  much  grief;  but 
it  is  a  necessary  part  of  my  official  duty  as  president. 

Younof  men  who  come  to  us  loaded  with  testimo- 
nials  are  occasionally  found  after  a  while  to  be  lacking 
in  application  or  in  spiritual  power;  and  after  due  ad- 
monishment and  trial  they  have  to  be  sent  back  to  the 
place  from  whence  they  came.  Others  are  as  good 
as  gold,  but  their  heads  ache,  and  their  health  fails 
under  hard  study,  or  from  lack  of  mental  capacity  they 
'  cannot  master  the  subjects  placed  before  them.  These 
must  be  kindly  but  firmly  set  aside ;  but  I  always 
dread  the  task. 

An  ^Earnest  Band. 

This  thinning-out  process  is  done  with  conscientious- 
ness, under  the  guidance  of  the  tutors ;  but  this  year 


134  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

there  has  been  little  need  of  it,  and  I  have  rejoiced  in 
the  fact,  since  frequent  depression  of  spirit  has  made 
it  undesirable  to  have  much  trying  work  to  do.  I  am 
glad  to  say  that  very  rarely  have  I  had  to  deal  with  a 
case  of  moral  failure.  Bad  young  men  have  crept  in 
among  us,  and  no  men  are  perfect ;  but  I  have  great 
comfort  in  seeing  the  earnest  and  prayerful  spirit/ 
which  has  prevailed  among  the  brotherhood. 

Foremost  among  our  aims  is  the  promotion  of  a 
vigorous  spiritual  life  among  those  who  are  preparing 
to  be  under-shepherds  of  Christ's  flock.  By  frequent 
meetings  for  prayer,  and  by  other  means,  we  labor  to 
maintain  a  high  tone  of  spirituality.  I  have  en- 
deavored in  my  lectures  and  addresses  to  stir  up  the 
holy  fire ;  for  well  I  know  that  if  the  heavenly  flame 
burns  low,  nothing  else  will  avail.  The  earnest  action 
of  the  College  Missionary  Society  has  been  a  source 
of  great  joy  to  me ;  for  above  all  things  I  desire  to 
see  many  students  devoting  themselves  to  foreign 
work.  The  Temperance  Society  also  does  a  good 
work,  and  tends  to  keep  alive  among  the  men  a  burn- 
ing hatred  of  England's  direst  curse. 

The  Divine  Anointing-. 

We  need  the  daily  prayer  of  God's  people  that 
much  grace  may  be  with  all  concerned  in  this  impor- 
tant business ;  for  what  can  we  do  without  the  Holy 
Spirit?  How  few  ever  pray  for  students  !  If  minis- 
ters do  not  come  up  to  the  desired  standard,  may  not 
the  members  of  the  churches  rebuke  themselves  for 
having  restrained  prayer  on  their  account?     When 


THE  pastors'  college.  135 

does  a  Christian  worker  more  need  prayer  than  in  his 
early  days,  when  his  character  is  forming  and  his  heart 
is  tenderly  susceptible  both  of  good  and  evil  influences  ? 
I  would  beseech  all  who  have  power  with  God  to  re- 
member our  colleges  in  their  intercessions. 

The  solemn  interests  involved  in  the  condition  of 
these  schools  of  the  prophets  compel  me  to  entreat, 
even  unto  tears,  that  the  hopeful  youth  of  our  ministry 
may  not  be  forgotten  in  the  supplications  of  the  saints. 
For  us  also,  who  have  the  responsible  duty  of  guiding 
the  minds  of  these  young  men,  much  prayer  is  re- 
quested, that  we  may  have  wisdom,  love,  gentleness, 
firmness,  and  abounding  spiritual  power.  It  is  not 
every  man  who  can  usefully  influence  students,  nor 
can  the  same  men  have  equal  power  at  all  times.  The 
Divine  Spirit  is  needed,  and  He  is  given  to  them  that 
ask  for  His  sacred  teaching. 

A  Missionary  Society. 

In  Great  Britain  hundreds  of  our  former  students 
are  preaching  the  Word,  some  in  the  more  prominent 
pulpits  of  the  denomination,  and  others  in  positions 
where  their  patience  and  self-denial  are  severely 
tested  by  the  present  depression  in  trade,  and  the  con- 
sequent inability  of  rural  congregations  to  furnish 
them  with  adequate  support.  The  College  has  reason 
to  rejoice  not  only  in  the  success  of  her  most  honored 
sons,  but  in  the  faithfulness  and  perseverance  of  the 
rank  and  file,  whose  services,  although  they  are  little 
noticed  on  earth,  will  receive  the  "  well  done  "  of  the 
Lord. 


136  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

This  institution  is  not  alone  a  College,  but  a  Home 
and  Foreign  Missionary  Society.  Our  three  evange- 
lists have  traversed  the  land  with  great  diligence,  and 
the  Lord  has  set  His  seal  to  their  work. 

It  is  my  greatest  pleasure  to  aid  in  commencing 
new  churches.  The  oftener  brethren  can  create  their 
own  spheres  the  more  glad  shall  I  be.  It  is  not  need- 
ful to  repeat  the  details  of  former  reports ;  but  many 
churches  have  been  founded  througrh  the  Colleo^e,  and 
there  are  more  to  follow.  I  announced  at  the  beo-in- 
ning  of  this  enterprise  that  it  was  not  alone  for  the 
education  of  ministers,  but  for  the  general  spread  of 
the  gospel ;  and  this  has  been  adhered  to,  a  part  of 
the  income  being  always  expended  in  that  direction. 

An  Interesting-  Letter. 

A  very  considerable  number  of  Pastors'  College 
men  are  to  be  found  at  the  Antipodes.  I  cannot  for- 
get that  there  I  have  a  beloved  son ;  but  next  to  that 
in  nearness  to  my  heart  is  the  fact  that  so  many  of  my 
spiritual  sons  are  there,  prospering  and  bringing  glory 
to  God.  It  was  with  no  little  delight  that  I  received 
the  following  letter  from  some  of  them.  Readers 
must  kindly  excuse  expressions  of  affection  which  are 
'so  natural  from  friends ;  I  could  not  cut  them  out 
without  destroying  the  spirit  of  the  letter: 

Melbourne,  Victoria,  Nov.  2,  1880. 
Rev.  C.  H.  Spurgeon. 

Honored  and  Beloved  President, — A  number  of 
former  students  of  the  College  being  met  together  at 


BOYS'    HOME— STOCKWELL   OrU'IIANAGE. 


THE  pastors'  college.  137 

this  metropolis  of  the  Antipodes,  it  was  most  heartily 
agreed  that  we  should  send  you  an  expression  of  our 
warm  love.  For  truly  we  can  say  that  instead  of  dis- 
tance or  even  time  causing  any  abatement  of  love 
towards  you  personally,  or  towards  the  institution 
which  we  may  with  truth  style  our  Alma  Mater,  we 
find  it  intensified  and  hallowed. 

The  meetings  of  the  Victorian  Baptist  Association 
are  now  being  held  in  this  city,  which  has  brought 
most  of  us  together ;  but  the  Melbourne  Exhibition 
has  brought  to  us  Brother  Harry  Woods  from  South 
Australia,  and  Brother  Harrison  from  Deloraine,  Tas- 
mania. Our  Brother  A.  J.  Clarke's  house  is  the  ren- 
dezvous for  all  the  brethren,  and  the  cheery  hospitality 
of  himself  and  wife  prove  them  to  be  called  to  the 
episcopate.  Though  all  the  brethren,  so  far  as  we 
know,  have  had  blessing  this  year,  some  of  them  won- 
derfully so,  yet  our  Brother  A.  J.  Clarke,  here  at  West 
Melbourne,  has  experienced  a  year  of  toil  and  harvest- 
ing in  which  we  all  rejoice,  and  which  exercises  a 
stimulating  effect  upon  all  who  hail  from  "  the  College." 

When  a  number  of  us  were  bowing  in  prayer  to- 
gether, we  felt  how  thoroughly  you  would  have  been 
with  us  in  spirit,  as  we  prayed  tnat  we  might  oppose, 
in  the  might  of  God,  the  awful  world-spirit  of  this 
region,  and  that  our  souls  might  be  kept  wholly  loyal 
to  King  Jesus,  having  no  "  fellowship  with  the  unfruit- 
ful works  of  darkness." 

Finally,  beloved  servant  of  God,  we  hail  you  in  the 
name  of  our  Triune  Jehovah !     No  words  of  ours  can 


188  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

express  our  personal  obligation  to  you.  But  by  fidel- 
ity to  Christ  and  to  truth,  by  manifesting  that  we  have 
caught  the  spirit  of  burning  love  to  souls  which  burns 
in  your  own  breast,  and  by  serving  to  our  utmost 
ability,  and  to  the  last  day  of  life,  in  the  kingdom  and 
patience  of  Jesus,  we  hope  to  show  that  all  your  care 
and  that  of  the  tutors  and  friends  of  the  Tabernacle 
has  not  been  ill-bestowed.  We  remain, 
Yours,  in  the  bonds  of  eternal  love, 

Wm.  Christr.  Bunning,  Geelong. 

William  Clark,  Ballarat. 

Alfred  J.  Clarke,  West  Melbourne. 

H.  H.  Garrett,  Brighton. 

Henry  Marsden,  Kew. 

J.  S.  Harrison,  Deloraine,  Tasmania. 

Harry  Woods,  Saddleworth,  S.  Australia. 

F.  G.  Buckingham,  Melbourne. 

Similarly  in  Canada  the  Lord  has  been  with  those 
who  have  gone  from  the  College.  My  brother,  J.  A. 
Spurgeon,  during  his  visit  to  Canada,  formed  a  branch 
of  our  Conference  there,  and  from  it  the  annexed 
loving  epistle  has  lately  come : 

567  York  Street,  London,  East  Ontario, 
Canada,  April  6,  1881. 
Beloved    President, — We,    the    members   of    the 
Canadian  branch  of  the  Pastors'  College  Brotherhood, 
herewith  greet  you  lovingly  (and  our  brethren  through 


THE  pastors'   college.  1^^ 

you)  on  the  occasion  of  your  Annual  Conference, 
which  we  hope  may  surpass  even  the  best  of  by-gone 
gatherings,  in  all  holy  joy  and  such  spiritual  refreshing 
as  may  fit  all  for  more  abundant  service. 

Need  we  say  how  deeply  we  feel  for  all  the  suffer- 
ino-s  by  which  our  President  is  made  to  serve,  the 
while  we  gratefully  recognize  "the  peaceable  fruit" 
of  those  sufferings  in  such  enriched  utterances  as  we 
have  lately  read  ?  We  love  our  dear  President  as  of 
yore,  remembering  days  of  prayerful  tryst  in  which 
we  heard  him  sigh  and  groan  his  longings  for  our 
course. 

During  another  year  we  have  been  "kept  by  the 
power  of  God,"  and  used  in  service ;  and  although  we 
are  in  some  cases  separated  even  here  by  many  dreary 
miles  of  continent,  we  still  hold  and  are  held  to  and 
by  the  old-time  kindness  ;  and,  better  still,  "  the  form 
of  sound  words." 

We  "  shake  hands  across  the  vast "  loved  President 
and  brethren,  and  wish  you  every  joy  in  Conference. 
For  the  Canadian  Brethren. 

Yours  affectionately, 

Joseph  Forth, 
President  of  the  Canadian  Branch  of  the 
Pastors'  College  Brotherhood. 

A  point  of  great  interest,  to  which  I  hope  the  Lord 
may  turn  the  attention  of  many  of  His  servants,  is 
that  of  Enelish  evanorelists  for  India.  Mr.  Gregson, 
the  well-known  missionary,  has  urged  upon  me  the 


140 


REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 


great  utility  of  sending  out  young  men  who  should 
preach  the  gospel  to  those  in  India  who  understand 
the  English  language,  whether  British,  Eurasian,  or 
educated  Hindoo. 

Help  for  the  Heathen. 

He  advises  that  the  men  should  be  sent  out  for  five 
years,  and  therefore  be  subjected  to  no  remark  should 
they  return  at  the  end  of  that  period.  He  thinks  it 
probable  that  they  would  acquire  a  language  and  re- 
main abroad  as  missionaries ;  but  if  not,  they  would 
be  missionary-advocates  on  their  return  home,  and 
arouse  among  our  churches  fresh  enthusiasm.  It  is 
believed  that  in  many  cities  churches  could  be  gathered 
which  would  support  these  men  as  their  ministers,  or 
that  at  least  a  portion  of  their  expenses  would  be 
found  on  the  spot.  I  have  determined  to  enter  upon 
this  field  as  God  shall  help  me ;  and  Mr.  H.  R. 
Brown,  who  has  been  for  years  the  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Shooter's  Hill,  has  reached  Calcutta,  on  his 
way  to  Darjeeling  in  the  hill  country.  If  the  Lord 
shall  prosper  him  there,  I  hope  he  will  live  long  in 
that  salubrious  region,  build  up  a  church,  and  become 
the  pioneer  of  a  little  band  of  evangelists. 

The  Eiig-lish  Tongue. 

Our  native  tongue  is  sure  to  spread  among  the  edu-= 
cated  Hindoos,  and  hence  many  a  heathen  may  be 
brought  to  Jesus  by  evangelists  who  do  not  under- 
stand any  of  the'  languages  of  the  East ;  and  mean- 
while our  countrymen,  too  often  irreligious,  may  be 
met  with  by  divine  grace,  and  find  Christ  where  the 


THE  pastors'   college.  141 

most  forget  Him.     I  hope  many  friends  will  take  an 
interest  in  this  effort,  and  assist  me  to  carry  it  out. 

Funds  have  come  in  as  they  have  been  needed;  but 
apart  from  a  legacy,  now  nearly  consumed,  the  ordi- 
nary income  has  not  been  equal  to  the  expenditure  of 
the  year.  The  balance  at  the  banker's  is  gradually 
disappearing ;  but  I  do  not  mention  this  with  any  re- 
gret, for  He  who  has  sent  us  supplies  hitherto  will 
continue  His  bounty,  and  He  will  move  His  stewards 
to  see  that  this  work  is  not  allowed  to  flag  from  want 
of  the  silver  and  the  gold.  With  a  single  eye  to  His 
glory  I  have  borne  this  burden  hitherto,  and  found  it 
light;  and  I  am  persuaded  from  past  experience  that 
He  will  continue  to  keep  this  work  going  so  long  as  it 
is  a  blessing  to  His  Church  and  to  the  world. 

A  Legacy  Lost. 

I  am  greatly  indebted  to  the  generous  donors  at 
the  annual  supper,  and  quite  as  much  to  the  smaller 
weekly  gifts  of  my  own  beloved  congregation,  which, 
in  the  aggregate,  have  made  up  the  noble  sum  of 
^9,100.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  a  considerable  legacy 
left  to  the  College  will  in  all  probability  be  lost  through 
the  law  of  mortmain.  This  is  a  great  disappointment ; 
but  if  one  door  is  shut  another  will  be  opened. 

Into  the  hands  of  Him  who  worketh  all  our  works 
in  us  we  commit  the  Pastors'  College  for  another  year. 


CHAPTER  VII 
Stockwell  Orphanage. 

A  Large  Gift. — New  Home  for  Children. — Process  of  Building. — Laying  the 
Corner-Stone. — The  Little  Ones  Happy. — Generous  Givers. — Daily  Life  in 
the  Orphanage. — What  Becomes  of  the  Boys. — Rules  of  Admission.- -Not 
a  Sectarian  Institution. — Successful  Anniversary. 

It  is  the  Lord's  own  work  to  care  for  the  fatherless. 
Those  who  have  faith  in  God  never  need  be  without 
success  in  undertaking  the  care  of  the  orphan.  God 
helps  the  helpless ;  but  he  uses  man  as  his  agent  in 
arranging  details.  Soon  after  "The  Sword  and  the 
Trowel"  was  commenced  Mr.  Spurgeon  indicated  in 
one  of  his  articles  published  in  its  pages  several  forms 
of  Christian  usefulness,  and  amongst  them  the  care 
of  the  orphan. 

Shordy  afterwards,  in  September,  1866,  Mr.  Spur- 
geon received  a  letter  from  a  lady,  offering  to  place  at 
his  command  the  sum  of  ^100,000,  with  which  to  com- 
mence an  orphanage  for  fatherless  boys.  At  first  he  felt 
disposed  to  avoid  the  onerous  responsibilities  of  such 
a  work;  and,  calling  at  the  address  given  by  the  lady, 
tried  to  prevail  upon  her  to  give  the  money  to  Mr. 
Miiller,  of  Bristol.  The  claims  of  London  for  such 
an  mstitution  were  urged;  and,  unable  to  refuse  the 
request  of  the  generous  donor,  the  money  was  accepted 
on  trust  for  the  purpose  named.     Mrs.  Hillyard,  the 

(142) 


144  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

widow  of  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England, 
was  the  lady  whose  benevolence  thus  originated  the 
Orphanage.  The  money  was  in  railway  debentures, 
which  were  not  at  that  time  available  for  use  other- 
wise than  as  an  investment. 

Birth  of  the  Orphanage. 

After  consulting  with  the  leading  friends  at  the 
Tabernacle,  a  body  of  twelve  trustees  was  chosen,  in 
whose  names  the  money  was  invested,  and  a  resolu- 
tion was  agreed  upon  to  purchase  a  suitable  plot  of 
land  at  Stockwell,  on  which  to  erect  an  orphanage. 
In  March,  1867,  the  deed  of  incorporation  was  signed 
by  the  trustees,  and  in  May  the  claims  of  the  pro- 
jected buildings  were  urged  with  so  much  force  and 
urgency  that  the  people  belonging  to  the  Tabernacle 
took  up  the  case  with  loving  zeal  and  energy.  By 
the  month  of  August  $5,350  were  in  hand,  and  the 
whole  church  at  the  Tabernacle  was  engaged  in  col- 
lecting on  this  behalf.  Prayer,  faith,  and  prompt, 
energetic  action  were  all  combined  in  the  efforts 
made,  and  pastors,  trustees,  and  congregation  were  of 
one  mind  in  their  purpose  to  make  the  work  a  success. 

Friends  of  the  Children. 

Within  the  space  of  a  year  the  plan  of  the  Orphan- 
age  was  matured,  the  foundations  laid,  the  work  was 
making  rapid  progress,  and  a  large  amount  of  money 
was  fa  hand  for  the  purpose.  Donations  from  $5  to 
$1,250  had  been  generously  forwarded  to  help  on  the 
work,  and  a  great  meeting  was  held  in  September 
1867,  when  the  public  generally  had  an  opportunity 


STOCKWELL   ORPHANAGE.  145 

of  showing  their  sympathy  with  the  proceedings. 
Previously  to  that  large  meeting  the  foundation-stones 
of  three  of  the  houses  were  laid  under  circumstances 
of  more  than  usual  interest. 

Mrs.  Tyson,  a  lady  who  had  often  aided  Mr.  Spur- 
geon  in  the  work  of  the  College,  and  in  other  enter- 
prises, had  been  spared  to  see  the  twenty-fifth  anni- 
versary of  her  marriage  day,  on  which  occasion  her 
beloved  husband,  a  wealthy  merchant,  presented  her 
with  ^2,500.  This  money  the  lady  at  once  took  to 
Mr.  Spurgeon  to  be  dedicated  to  God  for  the  erection 
of  one  of  the  orphan  houses,  to  be  called  Silver- 
Wedding  House.  About  the  same  time  a  merchant 
in  the  city  called  upon  the  pastor  at  the  Tabernacle, 
and,  after  transacting  some  business  with  him,  left 
with  Mr.  Spurgeon's  secretary  a  sealed  envelope,  in 
which  was  ^3,000,  to  be  used  in  building  another 
house  which,  it  was  afterwards  determined,  should  be 
called  Merchant's  House,  as  the  donor  refused  to 
have  his  name  given. 

Noble-hearted  Workmen. 

The  way  in  which  God  was  answering  the  prayers 
of  His  people  was  further  shown  by  an  offer  made  by 
the  workmen  who  had  built  the  Tabernacle  to  give 
the  labor  necessary  for  erecting  a  third  house,  whilst 
their  employer  volunteered  to  give  the  necessary 
material :  this  to  be  called  the  Workmen's  House. 

Such  manifest  tokens  of  the  divine  favor  attending 
the  work  greatly  encouraged  the  pastor  and  the  trus- 
tees, and  on  Monday  afternoon,  August  9,  1867,  the 
10 


146  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

foundation  stones  of  the  three  houses  named  were 
laid — one  by  Mrs.  Hillyard,  one  by  Mr.  Spurgeon,  and 
one  by  Mr.  Higgs.  The  scene  presented  at  Stockwell 
on  that  day  was  exceedingly  picturesque  and  intensely 
interesting.  At  the  monster  tea-meeting  which  fol- 
lowed, the  tables  extended  three  hundred  and  thirty 
feet  in  length,  and  the  bright  sunshine  made  the  scene 
one  of  joy  and  delight  which  will  long  be  remembered, 
though  the  rain,  which  came  down  so  bountifully  just 
as  tea  was  over,  caused  much  discomfort. 

The  subscriptions  brought  in  that  day  reached 
^i  2,000.  In  "  The  Sword  and  the  Trowel  "  for  October 
the  names  of  1,120  collectors  are  printed,  with  the 
amounts  on  their  cards,  stated  to  be  ^14,010.  Amongst 
the  collectors  were  members  of  the  Church  of  England, 
Congregationalists,  Methodists,  Baptists,  and  others, 
so  general  had  been  the  sympathy  which  was  felt  in 
the  work. 

The  Work  Grows. 

The  faith  of  the  pastor  and  trustees  of  the  Orphan- 
age was  greatly  strengthened  by  the  wonderful  man- 
ner in  which  God  had  answered  their  prayers  and 
rewarded  their  efforts.  It  was  announced  that  eio^ht 
houses  were  contemplated,  to  provide  for  not  less  than 
one  hundred  and  fifty  orphans,  requiring  an  outlay  of 
^15,000  per  annum.  Messrs.  Olney  &  Sons  gave 
^2,500  to  erect  a  fourth  house,  to  be  called,  after  the 
sainted  and  venerable  Mrs.  Olney,  Unity  House. 

By  the  end  of  the  year  1867  the  trustees  had  no 
less  than  two  hundred  names  of  orphans  from  whom 


STOCKWELL   ORPHANAGE. 


147 


to  select  fifty  In  the  following  April.  The  pressing 
need  of  providing  for  these  children  made  the  way 
more  easy  for  extending  the  work.  Accordingly,  at 
the  meeting  of  the  Baptist  Union,  early  In  1868,  it  was 
resolved  that  an  effort  should  be  made  to  raise  the 
funds  necessary  for  erecting  two  houses,  at  a  cost  of 
^3,000  each. 

Whilst  these  efforts  were  being  made  amongst  the 
Baptists,  Mr.  Thomas  Olney,  as  the  Superintendent 
of  the  Tabernacle  Sunday-school,  aided  by  the  teachers 
and  scholars,  was  collecting  the  funds  necessary  for 
erecting  a  house  to  represent  the  young  children. 
Simultaneously  with  that  effort  was  another  amongst 
the  students  at  the  college,  who  had  resolved  to  show 
fheir  affection  for  their  pastor  by  raising  money  suffi- 
cient to  erect  a  house  on  their  behalf,  and  to  perpetu- 
ate their  institution  by  having  it  named  the  College 
House. 

Laying^  a  Corner-stone. 

Two  meetings  were  held  at  the  Orphanage  in  June, 
1868 — one  on  the  ist  of  June,  when  the  venerable 
Thomas  Olney,  Sr.,  laid  the  foundation-stone  of  the 
building  which  was  to  form  the  lecture  and  dlnlng- 
hall,  the  master's  house,  and  the  entrance  gateway.  It 
was  a  gladsome  sight  to  witness  the  joy  of  the  vener- 
able man,  who  had  for  nearly  threescore  years  been 
connected  with  the  church  worshipping  at  the  Taber- 
nacle, as  he  performed  the  pleasing  duty  assigned 
to  him. 

On  the  same  day  the  Rev.  John  Aldls,  of  Reading, 


148  REV.   CHARLES  H.   SPURGEON. 

and  Alexander  B.  Goodall,  Esq.,  each  laid  one  of  the 
foundation-stones  of  the  two  Testimonial  Houses,  sub- 
scribed for  by  the  Baptist  churches  as  a  token  of 
regard  to  Mr.  Spurgeon.  A  monster  tea-meeting 
followed  the  proceedings,  after  which  addresses  were 
delivered  by  the  Revs.  Thomas  Binney,  Dr.  Raleigh, 
J.  T.  Wigner,  W.  Brock,  D.  D.,  W.  Howieson,  A. 
Mursell,  Henry  Varley,  W.  Scott,  S.  H.  Booth,  G. 
Gould,  J.  Raven,  J.  H.  Millard,  John  Spurgeon,  Sr.,  C. 
H.  Spurgeon,  and  James  A.  Spurgeon.  Mr.  Wigner 
presented  to  the  pastor  an  address  of  affectionate 
sympathy  from  the  Baptist  churches,  which  was  signed 
by  Mr.  Goodall  and  himself  on  behalf  of  the  subscribers 
to  the  fund,  and  with  the  address  was  the  sum  of 
^6,000.  That  sum  was  afterwards  increased  to  ;^8,720, 
so  as  to  include  the  furniture  and  fittinors  for  the  two 
houses,  that  the  offering  might  be  in  every  respect 
complete  in  all  its  parts. 

Happy  Children, 

The  meeting  held  on  June  19th,  thirty-fourth  birth- 
day of  Mr.  Spurgeon,  was,  if  possible,  a  more  joyous 
and  enthusiastic  one  than  any  of  the  preceding.  On 
that  day  Mr.  Thomas  Olney,  Jr.,  surrounded  by  a 
huge  mass  of  children  forming  the  Tabernacle  Sunday- 
schools,  laid  the  foundation-stone  of  the  Sunday-school 
house,  amidst  the  enthusiastic  applause  of  the  delighted 
children.  It  was  a  time  of  joy  they  will  all  long  re- 
member. Dear  Mrs.  Spurgeon,  so  long  a  suffering 
invalid,  was  there  to  witness  the  happiness  of  the  as- 
sembly, and  by  request  from  the  students  at  the  col- 


STOCKWELL  ORPHANAGE. 


149 


lege,  and  the  ministers  who  had  gone  from  it,  she  was 
induced  to  lay  the  foundation-stone  of  the  College 
House.  She  was  graciously  upheld  on  the  occasion, 
although  the  surpassing  kindness  displayed  was 
enough  to  overcome  one  of  a  stronger  frame. 

After  the  stone-laying  was  over,  twenty-six  sweet 
litde  girls  in  white  advanced  one  by  one,  and  presented 
Mrs.  Spurgeon  with  purses  which  their  parents  had 
subscribed  as  a  token  of  their  affectionate  rejoicing  at 
her  temporary  restoration.  It  was  a  touching,  beau- 
tiful, and  unexpected  sight,  which  deserves  to  be  re- 
corded. A  large  sum  of  money  was  presented  to  Mr. 
Spurgeon  as  a  birthday  offering,  which  he  put  iiito  the 
Orphanage  treasury. 

Funds  Flow  In. 

Another  incident  occurred  at  that  period  which 
deserves  to  be  placed  on  record.  The  Baptist  church 
at  Liverpool,  over  which  the  Rev.  Hugh  Stowell 
Brown  presides,  was  about  to  be  reopened,  and  Mr. 
Spurgeon  consented  to  preach  the  sermon.  He  did 
so;  but  the  church  and  conofregfation  resolved  to. 
defray  the  cost  of  the  repairs,  and  gave  to  Mr.  Spur- 
geon for  the  Orphanage  the  whole  of  the  collection, 
which  amounted  to  ^1,250. 

The  manner  in  which  the  funds  have  been  contrib- 
uted, first  to  erect  the  Orphanage  buildings,  and  since 
then  to  maintain  the  children  and  officers,  and  keep 
the  whole  establishment  in  continuous  operation, 
most  clearly  indicates  that  from  the  commencement  of 


150  EEV.   CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

the  work,  up  to  the  present  time,  the  hand  of  God 
has  been  directinof  the  whole. 

Each  house  was  occupied  as  soon  as  it  was  finished ; 
but  unable  to  wait  until  the  first  was  ready,  so  soon  as 
the  plan  of  the  Orphanage  was  matured  and  trustees 
appointed,  four  orphans  were  selected  and  placed 
under  the  charge  of  a  sister  in  her  own  house.  As 
money  came  in  others  were  added  to  them.  To  man- 
ifest still  further  the  interest  which  Mrs.  Hillyard  took 
in  the  work,  when  she  found  several  orphans  already 
in  charge  of  a  matron,  she  sold  some  household  plate 
to  give  the  money  for  their  support. 

Thousands  of  Dollars  for  Charity. 

Thus  encouraged,  by  the  month  of  July,  1867,  before 
the  foundation  stones  were  actually  laid,  seven  boys 
were  chosen  by  the  trustees  as  a  commencement.  It 
was  wonderful  how  the  money  was  sent  in.  One  day, 
just  as  Mr.  Spurgeon  finished  his  sermon  in  the  open 
air,  a  lady  put  into  his  hand  an  envelope  containing 
^100  for  the  Orphanage  and  ^100  for  the  College. 
In  January,  1868,  Mr.  Spurgeon  announced  in  his 
magazine  that  an  unknown  gentleman  had  given  him 
^5,000  towards  two  of  the  houses.  In  March  another 
sum  of  $5,000  was  announced,  and  in  June  the  Bap- 
tist churches  sent  in  $6,000.  In  September,  a  year 
after  the  work  began,  a  great  bazaar  was  held,  which 
brought  in  a  net  profit  of  $7,000. 

How  many  loving  hearts  and  willing  hands  were 
employed  to  bring  about  such  a  result,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  tell,  though  there  were  but  few  of  the 


STOCKWELL  ORPHANAGE. 


ini 


eleven  hundred  collectors,  who  so  nobly  came  forward 
at  the  first  meetinsf  a  vear  before,  who  did  not  lend  a 
helping  hand  to  the  bazaar.     By  the  end  of  the  year 


the  president  announced  in  his  magazine  that  only 
$5,000  more  was  required  to  complete  the  eight  houses. 
"And  this,'' says  he,  "will  surely  be  sent  in;  for  the 
Lord  will  provide."     And  so  it  came  to  pass. 


152  REV.   CHARLES  H.   SPURGEON. 

The  Rig-ht  Man  in  the  Right  Place. 

In  January,  1869,  fifty  children  had  been  chosen  to 
occupy  the  houses  as  soon  as  they  should  be  ready,  but 
up  to  the  month  of  June  only  twenty-nine  orphans 
were  in  residence.  The  chief  difficulty  which  fof 
,some  time  had  given  anxiety  to  the  trustees  was  to 
find  a  suitable  superintendent.  Several  persons  had 
presented  themselves,  but  not  one  had  satisfied  the 
claims  of  the  institution.  When  the  difficulty  seemed 
to  be  the  greatest,  Divine  Providence  sent  the  right 
man. 

Vernon  J.  Charlesworth,  who  had  been  for  seven 
years  co-pastor  at  Surrey  Chapel  with  Newman  Hall, 
offered  his  services  and  they  were  accepted.  Mr. 
Charlesworth  was  at  once  appointed :  and  the  ability 
which  he  has  manifested  in  mana^inor  the  affairs  of 
the  institution  is  very  satisfactory  evidence  that  he  is 
the  right  man  in  the  right  place.  By  his  influence 
within  the  Orphanage,  and  by  his  pen  outside,  hf»  \vas 
shown  himself  to  be  the  orphan's  friend. 

Up  to  the  spring  of  the  year  1870  one  hundred  and 
fifty-four  orphans  had  been  admitted,  six  of  whom  had 
been  removed,  leaving  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  in 
residence.  In  1877  the  resident  orphans  numbered 
two  hundred  and  thirty. 

How  the  Children  Liive. 

Each  of  the  eight  houses  forms  a  separate  family, 
that  plan  having  after  mature  consideration  been 
resolved  upon  as  the  best.  Each  family  is  complete 
in  its  own  arrangements ;  each  dwelling  having  a  large 


STOCKWELL  ORPHANAGE.  153 

sitting  and  four  lofty  bed-rooms  for  the  boys,  with 
lockers,  which,  when  closed,  form  handy  seats  in  the 
middle  of  the  room ;  and  a  sitting-room,  bed-room, 
and  kitchen  for  the  matron  in  charo-e.     A  laro^e  cov- 

o  o 

ered  play-room  adjoins  the  houses  on  the  east,  and 
separate  from  that  is  the  infirmary,  forming  the  east 
end  of  the  quadrangle.  At  the  west  end  is  the  school- 
room and  dining-hall,  the  master's  house  and  entrance 
gateway :  and  in  the  rear  of  the  dining-hall  is  the  suite 
of  offices  for  cooking  and  other  domestic  purposes. 

In  selecting  the  most  needy  boys  for  the  benefits 
of  the  institution,  the  trustees  are  in  noway  influenced 
by  the  religious  opinions  of  their  parents.  Those 
showing  the  most  pressing  want  have  the  preference. 

A  Big-  Family. 

A  judicious  writer  has  said  of  the  Stockwell  Or- 
phanage :  "  How  superior  any  real  approach  to  the 
family  ideal  is  to  the  barrack  system  was  apparent  to 
us  on  a  mere  orlance  at  these  fatherless  lads.  The 
families  are  large,  about  thirty  boys  in  each  house ; 
but  they  are  under  the  care  of  affectionate  and  diligent 
matrons,  and  everything  is  done  to  compensate  for 
the  loss  of  parental  rule  and  training.  There  Is  more 
of  the  'home*  than  of  the  '  institution '  in  the  atmos- 
phere. To  encourage  home  ideas,  and  for  the  sake 
of  industrial  training,  the  boys  in  turn  assist  in  the 
domestic  work  during  the  morning  of  the  day ;  each 
boy's  period  of  service  being  restricted  to  one  week 
in   six,  servants   being   entirely  dispensed   with.     A 


154 


REV.   CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 


working  cook  superintends  the  kitchen,  aided  by  the 
boys. 

"  No  regimental  uniform  is  suffered.  The  boys  differ 
in  the  clothes  they  wear,  in  the  cut  of  the  hair,  and 
show  all  the  variety  of  a  large  family.  The  boys  do 
not  look  like  loosely  connected  members  of  a  huge 
and  miscellaneous  crowd,  but  sons  and  brothers.  No 
traces  of  ill-disguised  dissatisfaction,  as  though  in 
perpetual  restraint,  always  under  orders,  were  appar- 
ent ;  but  a  free,  healthy,  and  vigorous  homeliness,  as 
if  under  the  genial  and  robust  influence  of  love,  made 
itself  everywhere  manifest. 

"What  Becomes  of  the  Liads. 

"  With  all  the  care  of  a  Christian  father,  situations 
are  chosen  for  the  lads,  where  their  spiritual  interests 
will  not  be  in  danger;  and  when  they  have  been 
passed  into  them  the  master  corresponds  with  them, 
and  gives  them  counsel  and  assistance  as  they  need. 
Like  a  true  home,  its  benediction  follows  every  inmate 
throughout  his  life.  W*^  were  specially  pleased  with 
our  visit  to  the  school.  The  boys  are  well  drilled  in 
elementary  knowledge,  reading,  writing,  arithmetic, 
grammar,  history,  geography,  vocal  music,  Latin, 
shorthand,  science  of  common  things,  and  Scripture, 
A  French  class  is  held  for  the  elder  boys.  Military 
drill  is  given  daily.  Drawing  is  successfully  taught, 
and  many  boys  excel  in  it.  The  singing-class  did  very 
great  credit  to  its  instructor — singing  at  sight,  with 
great  accuracy  and  sweetness,  music  of  some  diffi- 
culty." Two  <)f  Her  Majesty's  Inspectors  were  deputed 


STOCKWELL   ORPHANAGE.  155 

from  the  Local  Government  Board  to  visit  the  institu- 
tion, and  they  gave  the  following  report,  which  reflects 
the  highest  credit  upon  Mr.  Spurgeon  for  his  wisdom 
and  prudence :  "An  admirable  institution,  good  in 
design,  and,  if  possible,  better  in  execution." 
Not  a  Sectarian  Institution. 

The  children  are  admitted  between  the  ages  of  six 
and  ten  years,  and  they  remain  until  they  are  fourteen. 
From  an  abstract  drawn  up  by  the  master  in  1873  it 
was  found  that  the  creeds  of  the  parents  of  the  chil- 
dren admitted  to  that  date  were  in  the  following  pro- 
portions :  sixty-nine  were  members  of  the  Church 
of  England ;  twenty-six  Independent ;  nineteen 
Wesleyan  ;  fifty-one  Baptist ;  four  Presbyterian ; 
one  Catholic ;  and  thirty-five  made  no  profession  of 
reliofion. 

In  the  management  of  the  Orphanage  will  be  found 
one  of  its  chief  attractions,  and  one  which  ought  to 
commend  its  plans  to  other  similar  institutions.  The 
author  of  a  book  called  "  Contrasts"  cites  the  Stock- 
well  School  as  a  specimen  of  admirable  administra- 
tion, proving  that  large  expenditure  in  some  public 
institutions  does  not  oruarantee  thorough  satisfaction. 
In  some  orphan  schools  and  pauper  schools  the  rate 
of  expense  per  head  is  from  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
to  one  hundred  and  forty-five  dollars,  whilst  in  the 
Stockwell  Orphanage,  with  complete  organization  and 
highly  satisfactory  results  in  each  department,  the 
cost  is  only  seventy-two  dollars  per  head,  inclusive  of 


156  REV.   CHARLES  H.   SPtTRGEON. 

everything.     This  is   the   highest   testimonial   which 
could  be  given  of  its  efficiency. 

Kules  of  Admission. 

Looking  over  the  list  of  applications  which  are 
entered  in  the  books  at  Stockwell  it  was  ascertained 
that  two  only  out  of  every  dozen  cases  could  be 
received.  What  becomes  of  the  other  ten  ?  "  Think 
of  widows,  some  of  them  sickly  and  unable  to  work, 
with  four  or  five  children ;  families  of  orphans  de- 
prived of  both  parents ;  and  yet  the  Stockwell  trus- 
tees had  to  decline  them  because  there  were  more 
necessitous  cases.  But  there  was  one  comfort,  they 
had  not  to  pay  any  election  expenses." 

On  that  subject  Mr.  Spurgeon  has  written  the  fol- 
lowing judicious  remarks :  "  No  widow  ever  goes  away 
lamenting  over  time,  labor,  and  money  spent  in  vain. 
The  worst  that  can  happen  is  to  be  refused  because  there 
is  no  room,  or  her  case  is  not  so  bad  as  that  of  others. 
Not  a  shilling  will  have  been  spent  in  purchasing 
votes,  no  time  lost  in  canvassing,  no  cringing  to  obtain 
patronage.  Her  case  is  judged  on  its  merits,  and  the 
most  necessitous  wins  the  day.  We  have  now  so 
many  applicants  and  so  few  vacancies,  that  women 
with  two  or  three  children  are  advised  not  to  apply, 
for  while  there  are  others  with  five,  six,  or  seven  chil- 
dren depending  upon  them,  they  cannot  hope  to 
succeed."  A  dozen  orphanages  as  large  as  the  one 
at  Stockwell  could  be  filled  at  once  with  children 
needing  such  help. 


STOCKWELL  ORPHANAGE. 


157 


A  Good  Investment. 

The  economy  with  which  the  Orphanage  has  been 
managed  has  excited  the  admiration  of  many  who  are 


familiar  with  the  details  of  kindred  institutions.  Those 
who  honor  Mr.  Spurgeon  with  their  contributions 
make   a   good   investment,    and   will    share    in    the 


158  REV.   CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

blessedness  of  the  return.  The  office  expenses  are 
reduced  to  a  minimum,  and  no  paid  canvassers  are 
employed.  Offerings  find  their  way  into  the  exchequer 
from  all  parts  of  the  globe,  and  though  at  times  there 
has  been  a  little  tightness  felt,  the  children  have  never 
lacked  a  meal. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  is  a  man  of  unwavering  faith  in  the 
living  God,  and  though  his  faith  has  been  put  to  the 
severest  test,  it  has  never  failed  him.  Friends  who 
have  not  been  able  to  give  money  have  sent  gifts  in 
kind.  Flour  and  potatoes,  meat  and  preserves,  are 
always  gladly  received.  One  manufacturer  has  given 
all  the  coverlets  for  the  beds,  and  the  proprietors  and 
pupils  of  a  young  ladies'  school  have  endeavored  to 
keep  the  boys  supplied  with  shirts. 
Gratifying  Results. 

The  Orphanage  has  now  existed  long  enough  to 
form  a  correct  opinion  of  its  merits  in  every  depart- 
ment. Hundreds  of  boys  have  left  the  school  and 
entered  on  the  duties  of  life.  The  reports  which 
have  been  received  annually  from  those  business 
men  v>'ho  have  taken  them  have  been  most  gratifying. 
With  few  exceptions,  those  who  have  left  keep  up 
communication  with  the  home.  Summing  up  these 
results,  a  recent  report  says:  "Almost  every  boy 
who  has  gone  into  a  situation  has  given  satisfaction. 
Where  failure  has  occurred  it  has  arisen  from  a 
craving  for  the  sea,  or  from  the  interference  of  an 
unwise  mother.  Some  of  the  lads  are  in  good  posi- 
tions, and  command  the  esteem  of  their  employers." 


STOCKWELL   ORPHANAGE.  159 

Nearly  all  the  boys  have  sent  a  portion  of  their  first 
earnings  as  a  donation  to  the  orphanage,  in  sums 
varying  from  one  dollar  to  five  dollars,  thus  manifest- 
ing a  spirit  of  gratitude.  Some  of  the  letters  received 
from  them  are  read  to  the  boys,  and  produce  on  their 
minds  beneficial  results.  Many  of  the  boys  have,  be- 
fore they  have  left,  become  decided  Christians,  and 
some  have  made  public  confession  of  their  faith  by 
baptism.  The  head  master  himself  was  publicly  bap- 
tized in  1874,  ^^^  ^^^  °f  ^^^  boys  joined  him  in  the 
same  act  of  dedication. 

Successful  Anniversary. 

Others  have  become  members  of  Christian  churches 
in  the  towns  and  villages  where  they  have  gone  to  re- 
side. One  of  the  first  boys  converted  is  now  devoting 
his  evenings  and  Sundays  to  missionary  work  in  South 
London,  and  showed  so  much  talent  for  preaching 
that  he  was  received  into  the  College  In  January,  1876. 

It  is  gratifying  to  be  able  to  record  that  the  health 
of  the  inmates  has  been  graciously  maintained,  with 
but  little  interruption,  through  the  several  years  of  its 
existence. 

The  1875  anniversary  of  the  schools  was  held  at  the 
Orphanage  on  the  pastor's  birthday,  June  19th,  which 
was  preceded  by  a  bazaar.  The  attendance  was  so 
numerous  that  it  was  necessary  to  hold  two  public 
meetings  to  accommodate  the  large  number  of  per- 
sons present.  The  Earl  of  Shaftesbury  was  present, 
and  spoke  at  both  the  services.  The  contributions 
added  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  to  the  funds. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
Annual  Report  of  Stockwell  Orphanage. 

A  Devoted  Woman. — Faith  Insures  Success. — Story  of  an  Old  Puritan. — Need 
of  a  Double  Income. — Health  of  the  Orphanage. — An  Appeal  Hard  to  Re- 
sist.— Young  Choristers. — Spontaneous  Charity. — A  Notable  Year. — Enlarg- 
ing the  Bounds. — Girls'  Orphanage. — Liberal  Response  to  Appeals  for  Help. 
— The  Miracle  of  Faith  and  Labor. 

In  issuing  the  twelfth  annual  report  of  the  Stock- 
well  Orphanage  the  Committee  writes  :  With  pro- 
found gratitude  to  our  Heavenly  Father  we  issue  the 
Twelfth  Report  of  the  Stockwell  Orphanage,  and  our 
gratitude  will  be  shared,  we  doubt  not,  by  all  who 
have  oriven  of  their  substance  towards  the  mainte- 
nance  and  development  of  the  institution.  We  there- 
fore invite  all  our  readers  to  "rejoice  with  us"  in  the 
tokens  of  the  divine  favor  which  has  crowned  our 
labors  during  another  year.  "The  Lord  hath  been 
mindful  of  us  :  He  will  bless  us." 

When  we  remember  how  this  gracious  work  began 
by  the  consecrated  thought  of  a  holy  woman,  and  then 
grew  into  an  actual  gift  from  her  hand,  and  further 
developed,  by  the  large  help  of  others,  into  houses 
and  schools,  infirmary  and  dining-hall,  and  all  manner 
of  provision  for  destitute  children,  we  feel  bound  to 
cry,  "  What  hath  God  wrought !  "  Our  God  has  sup- 
plied all  our  need  according  to  His  riches  in  glory  by 

(160) 


STOCKWELL   ORPHANAGE. 


161 


Christ  Jesus.  The  story  of  the  Stockwell  Orphanage 
will  be  worth  telling  in  heaven  when  the  angels  shall 
learn  from  the  Church  the  manifold  wisdom  and  good- 
ness of  the  Lord. 

Unfailing  Friends. 
Incidents  which  could  not  be  published  on  earth 
will  be  made  known  in  the  heavenly  city,  where  every 
secret  thing  shall  be  revealed.  How  every  need  has 
been  supplied  before  it  has  become  a  want;  how 
guidance  has  been  given  before  questions  have  be- 
come anxieties ;  how  friends  have  been  raised  up  in 
unbroken  succession,  and  how  the  One  Great  Friend 
has  been  ever  present,  no  single  pen  can  ever  record. 
To  care  for  the  fatherless  has  been  a  work  of  joyful 
faith  all  along,  and  in  waiting  upon  God  for  supplies 
we  have  experienced  great  delight.  The  way  of  faith 
in  God  is  the  best  possible.  We  could  not  have  car- 
ried on  the  work  by  a  method  more  pleasant,  more 
certain,  more  enduring.  If  we  had  depended  upon 
annual  subscribers  we  should  have  had  to  hunt  them 
up  and  pay  a  heavy  poundage,  or  perhaps  fail  to  keep 
up  the  roll ;  if  we  had  advertised  continually  for  funds 
our  outlay  might  have  brought  in  a  scanty  return;  but 
dependence  upon  God  has  been  attended  with  no  such 
hazards. 

Watchful  Care. 

We  have  done  our  best  as  men  of  business  to  keep 

the  Orphanage  before  the  public,  but  we  have  desired 

in    all    things  to  exercise  faith  as   servants   of  God. 

Whatever  weakness  we  have  personally  to   confess 
11 


162  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

and  deplore,  there  is  no  weakness  in  the  plan  of  faith 
in  God.  Our  experience  compels  us  to  declare  that 
He  is  the  living  God;  the  God  that  heareth  prayer; 
the  God  who  will  never  permit  those  who  trust  in  Him 
to  be  confounded.  The  business  world  has  passed 
through  trying  times  during  the  last  few  years,  but  the 
Orphanage  has  not  been  tried ;  men  of  great  enter- 
prise have  failed,  but  the  home  for  the  fatherless  has 
not  failed;  for  this  enterprise  is  in  the  divine  hand,  an 
eye  watches  over  it  which  neither  slumbers  nor  sleeps. 
Let  the  people  of  God  be  encouraged  by  the  fact 
of  the  existence  and  prosperity  of  the  Stockwell 
Orphanage.  Miracles  have  come  to  an  end,  but  God 
goes  on  to  work  great  wonders.  The  rod  of  Moses 
is  laid  aside,  but  the  rod  and  staff  of  the  Great  Shep- 
herd still  compass  us. 

Story  of  an  Old  Puritan. 

The  son  of  an  old  Puritan  rode  some  twenty  miles 
to  meet  his  father,  who  came  a  similar  distance  to  the 
half-way  house.  "  Father,"  said  the  son,  "  I  have  met 
with  a  special  providence,  for  my  horse  stumbled  at 
least  a  dozen  times,  and  yet  it  did  not  fall."  "  Ah," 
replied  the  father,  "  I  have  had  a  providence  quite  as 
remarkable,  for  my  horse  did  not  stumble  once  all  the 
way."  This  last  is  the  happy  picture  of  the  Orphan- 
age for  some  time  past,  and,  indeed,  throughout  its 
whole  career;  we  have  never  had  to  issue  mournful 
appeals  because  of  exhausted  resources,  and  in  this 
we  must  see  and  admire  the  gfood  hand  of  the  Lord. 

We  now  enter  more  fully  upon  a  fresh  stage  of  our 


STOCKWELL  ORPHANAGE. 


163 


existence;  we  shall  need  to  double  the  amount  of  our 
present  income,  and  we  shall  have  it  from  the  ever- 
opened  hand  of  the  Lord  our  God.  Friends  will  be 
moved  to  think  of  our  great  family,  for  our  Great 


ONE  OF  THE  SCHOOL-ROOMS. 


Remembrancer  will  stir  them  up.  The  duty  of  each 
Christian  to  the  mass  of  destitute  orphanhood  is  clear 
enough,  and  if  pure  minds  are  stirred  up  by  way  of 
remembrance  there  will  be  no  lack  in  the  larder,  no 


164  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

want  in  the  wardrobe,  no  failing  in  the  funds  of  our 
Orphan  House. 

We  labor  under  one  great  difficulty.  Many  people 
say,  "  Mr.  Spurgeon  will  be  sure  to  get  the  money, 
and  there  is  no  need  for  us  to  send."  It  is  clear  that 
if  everybody  talked  so,  our  president's  name  would  be 
a  hindrance  instead  of  a  help.  He  will  be  the  means 
of  finding  money  for  our  institution,  for  the  Lord  will 
honor  his  faith  and  hear  his  prayers,  and  be  glorified 
in  him  ;  but  there  will  be  no  thanks  due  to  those  who 
fabricate  an  excuse  for  themselves  out  of  the  faithful- 
ness of  God. 

Give  Ye  Them  to  Eat. 

This  difficulty,  however,  does  not  distress  us.  We 
go  forward,  believing  that  when  we  have  twice  our 
present  number  of  children  the  Lord  will  send  us 
double  supplies.  We  cannot  entertain  the  suspicion 
that  the  girls  will  be  left  without  their  portion,  for  we, 
being  evil,  care  as  much  for  our  daughters  as  for  our 
sons,  and  our  Heavenly  Father  will  do  the  same.  It 
is  well,  however,  to  remind  our  friends  of  this,  that 
each  helper  of  the  Orphanage  may  try  to  interest  an- 
other generous  heart,  and  so  enlarge  the  circle  of  our 
friends.  It  may  be  that  by  such  means  the  Great 
Provider  will  supply  us;  for  we  know  that  when  our 
Lord  fed  the  multitude  He  first  said  to  His  disciples, 
"  Give  ye  them  to  eat." 

The  sanitary  condition  of  the  Orphanage  has  been 
all  that  we  could  desire.  Considerinof  that  so  lar^e  a 
proportion   of  the  children  come  to  us  in  a  delicate 


STOCKWELL   ORPHANAGE. 


165 


condition,  and  some  widi  die  taint  of  hereditary  dis- 
ease, it  is  a  matter  for  devout  thankfulness  that  their 
general  health  is  so  good,  and  that  so  few  deaths  have 
occurred.  Out  of  the  entire  number  who  have  left, 
only  one  boy  was  unable  to  enter  upon  a  situation  in 
consequence  of  an  enfeebled  consdtudon.  We  owe  it 
to  an  ever-watchful  Providence  that,  during  the  pre- 
vailing epidemic,  not  a  single  case  of  fever  or  small- 
pox has  occurred  in  the  institution. 

Keligious  Culture. 

Family  worship  is  conducted  twice  daily,  before  the 
morning  and  evening  meals,  by  the  head  master  or 
his  assistants,  the  service  being  taken  occasionally  by 
the  president,  or  a  member  of  the  committee,  or  a 
visitor  to  the  institution  who  may  happen  to  be  pres- 
ent. The  Word  of  God  is  read  and  expounded,  hymns 
sung,  and  prayer  offered,  and  the  whole  of  the  boys 
repeat  a  text  selected  for  the  day.  A  service  is  con- 
ducted for  the  elder  boys  every  Wednesday  evening 
by  Mr.  W.  J.  Evans,  when  addresses  are  given  by 
ministers  and  other  friends. 

Durinsf  their  term  of  residence  in  the  institution  all 
the  boys  are  total  abstainers,  no  alcoholic  liquors  being 
allowed  except  by  order  of  the  doctor,  but  most  of 
them  are  pledged  abstainers,  with  the  approval  of  their 
friends.  Band  of  Hope  meetings  are  held  every  month, 
when  the  children  receive  instruction  from  competent 
speakers ;  and  lectures  are  given  at  intervals  during 
the  winter  months. 


166  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

The  Cry  of  the  Orphan. 

The  operations  of  the  institution  reveal  to  the 
managers  the  wide-spread  necessity  which  exists. 
The  cry  of  the  orphan  comes  from  every  part  of  our 
beloved  land,  and  the  plea  of  the  widow  for  Christian 
sympathy  and  help  is  restricted  to  no  one  class  of  the 
community.  Faces  once  radiant  with  smiles  are  sad- 
dened with  grief,  for  the  dark  shadow  which  death 
casts  falls  everywhere.  How  true  are  the  lines  of  the 
poet: 

"  There  is  no  fireside,  howsoe'er  defended. 
But  has  one  vacant  chair." 

It  is  a  constant  joy  to  the  president  and  the  committee 
that  they  are  able  to  mitigate  to  such  a  large  extent 
the  misery  and  need  which  are  brought  under  their 
notice  ;  and  it  must  be  an  equal  joy  to  the  subscribers 
to  know  that  their  lovino-  contributions  furnish  the 
sinews  for  this  holy  war. 

As  our  Sunday-school  is  affiliated  to  the  Sunday- 
school  Union,  we  allow  the  boys  who  desire  to  do  so 
to  sit  for  examination.  Of  the  candidates  who  were 
successful  at  the  last  examination,  three  gained  prizes, 
twelve  first-class  certificates,  and  thirty-eight  second- 
class  certificates. 

Yoiiiig-  Choristers. 

During  the  year  the  boys  took  part  in  the  Crystal 
Palace  Musical  Festivals,  arranged  by  the  Band  of 
Hope  Union  and  the  Tonic  Sol-fa  Association. 

In  order  to  make  the  character  and  claims  of  the 
institution  more  widely  known,  the  head  master  and 
the  secretary  have  held  meetings  in  London  and  the 


STOCKWELL  ORPHANAGE.  167 

provinces,  and  the  success  which  has  crowned  their 
efforts  is  of  a  very  gratifying  character.  The  boys 
who  accompany  them  to  sing  and  to  recite  furnish  a 
powerful  appeal  by  their  appearance  and  conduct,  and 
commend  the  institution  to  which  they  owe  so  much. 
The  local  papers  speak  in  terms  of  the  highest  praise 
of  their  services,  and  thus  a  most  effective  advertise- 
ment is  secured  without  any  cost  to  the  institution. 
So  far  as  the  boys  are  concerned  these  trips  have  an 
educational  value,  for  they  get  to  know  a  great  deal 
of  the  products  and  industries  of  different  parts  of 
the  country,  besides  securing  the  advantage  of  being 
brought  into  contact  with  Christian  families  where 
they  reside  during  their  visit. 

The  amount  realized  during  the  year,  after  defraying 
all  expenses,  is  $3,320,  and  our  thanks  are  hereby 
tendered  to  all  who  assisted  in  any  way  to  secure  such 
a  splendid  result. 

Spontaneous  Benevolence. 

The  committee  record  with  thankfulness  that  there 
has  been  no  lack  in  the  funds  contributed  for  the 
efficient  maintenance  of  the  institution.  Friends  pre- 
fer to  give  donations  rather  than  pledge  themselves  to 
send  annual  subscriptions,  and  the  benevolence  thus 
manifested  is  purely  spontaneous.  The  admirable 
custom  of  making  shirts  for  the  boys  is  still  continued 
by  the  young  ladies  of  an  educational  establishment, 
who  send  in  a  supply  of  two  hundred  shirts  every 
year.  Their  efforts  are  supplemented  by  several 
working  associations,  but  the  supply  is  not  yet  equal 


168  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

to  the  demand,  and  we  cordially  invite  the  co-operation 
of  others,  to  whom  we  shall  be  glad  to  send  samples 
and  patterns. 

The  work  of  caring  for  the  widow  and  the  fatherless 
is  specially  mentioned  by  the  Holy  Spirit  as  one  of 
the  most  acceptable  modes  of  giving  outward  expres- 
tion  to  pure  religion  and  undefiled  before  God  and 
the  Father,  and  therefore  the  Lord's  people  will  not 
question  that  they  should  help  in  carrying  it  out. 
Will  it  need  much  pleading  ?  If  so,  we  cannot  use  it, 
as  we  shrink  from  marrinnf  the  willinofhood  which  is 
the  charm  of  such  a  service.  The  work  is  carried  on 
in  dependence  upon  God,  and  as  His  blessing  evidently 
rests  upon  it,  we  are  confident  the  means  will  be 
forthcominor  as  the  need  arises.  While  commendinor 
the  work  to  our  Heavenly  Father  in  prayer,  we  deem 
it  right  to  lay  before  the  stewards  of  His  bounty  the 
necessities  and  claims  of  the  institution. 

A  Memorable  Year. 

The  year  iS8o  will  be  a  memorable  one  in  the 
history  of  the  institution,  and  we  record  with  gratitude 
the  fact  that  the  foundation-stones  of  the  first  four 
houses  for  the  Girls'  Orphanage  were  laid  on  the  2 2d 
of  June,  when  the  president's  birthday  was  celebrated. 
It  was  a  joy  to  all  present  that  Mrs.  Spurgeon  was 
able  to  lay  the  memorial  stone  of  "  The  Sermon 
House,  the  gift  of  C.  H.  Spurgeon  and  his  esteemed 
publishers,  Messrs.  Passmore  and  Alabaster."  The 
memorial  stone  of  another  house,  the  gift  of  Mr.  W. 
R.  Rickett,  and  called  "  The  Limes,  in  tender  memory 


STOCKWELL   ORPHANAGE.  16^ 

of  five  beloved  children,"  was  laid  by  C.  H.  Spurgeon, 
who  made  a  touching  allusion  to  the  sad  event  thus 
commemorated.  Mrs.  Samuel  Barrow  laid  the  memo- 
rial stone  of  the  house  called  "  The  Olives,"  the  amount 
for  its  erection  having  been  given  and  collected  by  her 
beloved  husband.  The  trustees  of  the  institution, 
having  subscribed  the  funds  for  the  erection  of  a 
house,  the  treasurer,  Mr.  William  Higgs,  laid,  in  their 
name,  the  memorial  stone  which  bears  the  inscription, 
"  Erected  by  the  Trustees  of  the  Orphanage  to  express 
their  joy  in  this  service  of  love." 

Plans  for  Enlarged  Usefulness. 

At  the  present  moment  the  buildings  of  the  Orphan- 
age form  a  great  square,  enclosing  a  fine  space  for  air 
and  exercise.  Visitors  generally  express  great  sur- 
prise at  the  beauty  and  openness  of  the  whole  estab- 
lishment. Much  remains  to  be  done  before  the 
institution  is  completely  accommodated ;  there  is 
needed  an  infirmary  for  the  girls,  and  till  that  is  built 
one  of  the  houses  will  have  to  be  used  for  that  pur- 
pose, thus  occupying  the  space  which  would  otherwise 
be  filled  by  thirty  or  forty  children  ;  this  should  be 
attended  to  at  an  early  date. 

Baths  and  washhouses  will  be  urgently  required  for 
the  girls,  and  we  propose  to  make  them  sufficiently 
commodious  for  the  girls  to  do  the  washing  for  the 
entire  community  of  five  hundred  children,  thus  in- 
structinor  them  in  household  duties  and  savine  consid- 
erable  expense.  We  would  not  spend  a  sixpence 
needlessly.     No   money  has   been  wasted   in   lavish 


170  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

ornament  or  in  hideous  ugliness.  The  buildings  are 
not  a  workhouse  or  a  county  jail,  but  a  pleasant  resi- 
dence for  those  children  of  whom  God  declares  him- 
self to  be  the  Father.  The  additional  buildinofs 
which  we  contemplate  are  not  for  luxury,  but  for 
necessary  uses ;  and  as  we  endeavor  to  lay  out 
money  with  judicious  economy,  we  feel  sure  that  we 
shall  be  trusted  in  the  future  as  in  the  past. 

Honored  Names. 

Are  there  not  friends  waiting  to  take  a  share  in  the 
Stockwell  Orphanage  Building  ?  They  cannot  better 
commemorate  personal  blessings,  nor  can  they  find  a 
more  suitable  memorial  for  departed  friends.  No 
storied  urn  or  animated  bust  can  half  so  well  record 
the  memory  of  beloved  ones  as  a  stone  in  an  Orphan 
House.  Most  of  the  buildings  are  already  appropri- 
ated as  memorials  in  some  form  or  other,  and  only  a 
few  more  will  be  needed.  Very  soon  all  building 
operations  will  be  complete,  and  those  who  have  lost 
the  opportunity  of  becoming  shareholders  in  the 
Home  of  Mercy  may  regret  their  delay. 

At  any  rate,  none  who  place  a  stone  in  the  walls 
of  the  Stockwell  Orphanage  will  ever  lament  that 
they  did  this  deed  of  love  to  the  little  ones  for 
whom  Jesus  cares.  Honored  names  are  with  us 
already  engraven  upon  the  stones  of  this  great 
Hostelry  of  the  All-merciful ;  and  many  others  are 
our  co-workers  whose  record  is  on  hieh,  though 
unknown  among  men.  Who  will  be  the  next  to  join 
us  in  this  happy  labor  ? 


STOCKWELL   ORPHANAGE.  171 

When  the  whole  of  the  buildings  are  complete,  the 
institution  will  afford  accommodation  for  five  hundred 
children,  and  prove  a  memorial  of  Christian  gener- 
osity and  of  the  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord. 

The  Girls'  Orphanage. 

The  following  description  of  the  Girls'  Orphanage 
is  from  Mr.  Spurgeon's  own  pen  : 

In  our  address  at  the  presentation  of  the  late  testi- 
monial, we  disclaimed  all  personal  credit  for  the 
existence  of  any  one  of  the  enterprises  over  which 
we  preside,  because  each  one  of  them  has  been 
forced  upon  us.  "  I  could  not  help  undertaking 
them,"  was  our  honest  and  just  confession.  This 
is  literally  true,  and  another  illustration  of  this  fact  is 
now  to  come  before  the  Christian  public. 

Several  of  us  have  long  cherished  the  idea  that  the 
time  would  come  in  which  we  should  have  an  Orphan- 
age for  girls  as  well  as  for  boys.  It  would  be  hard  to 
conceive  why  this  should  not  be.  It  seems  ungallant, 
not  to  say  unrighteous,  to  provide  for  children  of  one 
sex  only,  for  are  not  all  needy  litde  ones  dear  to 
Christ,  with  whom  there  is  neither  male  nor  female  ? 
We  do  not  like  to  do  such  things  by  halves,  and  it  is 
but  half  doing  the  thino-  to  leave  the  eirls  out  in  the 
cold.  We  have  all  along  wished  to  launch  out  in  the 
new  direction,  but  we  had  quite  enough  on  hand  for 
the  time  being,  and  were  obliged  to  wait.  The  matter 
has  been  thought  of,  and  talked  about,  and  more  than 
half  promised,  but  nothing  has  come  of  it  till  this 
present,  and  now,  as  we  believe  at  the  exact  moment, 


172  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

the  hour  has  struck,  and  the  voice  of  God  in  provi- 
dence says,  "  Go  forward." 

The  Work  Beg-iin. 

The  fund  for  the  Girls'  Orphanage  has  commenced, 
and  there  are  about  a  dozen  names  upon  the  roll  at 
the  moment  of  our  writing.  The  work  will  be  car- 
ried on  with  vigor  as  the  Lord  shall  be  pleased  to 
send  the  means,  but  it  will  not  be  unduly  pushed 
upon  any  one  so  as  to  be  regarded  as  a  new  burden, 
for  we  want  none  but  cheerful  helpers,  who  will  count 
it  a  privilege  to  have  a  share  in  the  good  work.  We 
shall  employ  no  collector  to  make  a  percentage  by 
dunning  the  unwilling,  and  shall  make  no  private 
appeals  to  individuals.  There  is  the  case  :  if  it  be  a 
good  one  and  you  are  able  to  help  it,  please  do  so  ; 
but  if  you  have  no  wish  in  that  direction,  our  Lord's 
work  does  not  require  us  to  go  a-begging  like  a 
pauper,  and  we  do  not  intend  to  do  so. 

We  have  never  been  in  debt  yet,  nor  have  we  had 
a  mortgage  upon  any  of  our  buildings,  nor  have  we 
even  borrowed  money  for  a  time,  but  we  have  always 
been  able  to  pay  as  we  have  gone  on.  Our  prayer  is 
that  we  may  never  have  to  come  down  to  a  lower 
platform  and  commence  borrowing. 

Abundance  of  Girls. 

It  has  often  happened  that  we  have  been  unable 
to  assist  widows  in  necessitous  circumstances  with 
large  families,  because  there  did  not  happen  to  be  a 
boy  of  the  special  age  required  by  the  rules  of  our 
Boys'  Orphanage.     There  were  several  girls,  but  then 


174  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

we  could  not  take  girls,  and  however  deserving  the 
case,  we  have  been  unable  to  render  any  assistance  to 
very  deserving  widows,  simply  because  their  children 
were  not  boys.  This  is  one  reason  why  we  need  a 
Girls'  Orphanage. 

Everywhere  also  there  is  an  outcry  about  the  scarcity 
of  good  servants,  honest  servants,  industrious  servants, 
well-trained  servants.  We  know  where  to  find  the 
sisters  who  will  try  to  produce  such  workers  out  of 
the  little  ones  who  will  come  under  their  care. 

We  have  succeeded  by  God's  grace  and  the  diligent 
care  of  our  masters  and  matrons  in  training  the  lads 
so  that  they  have  become  valuable  to  business  men : 
why  should  not  the  same  divine  help  direct  us  with  the 
lassies,  so  that  domestics  and  p^overnesses  should  eo 
forth  from  us  as  well  as  clerks  and  artisans?  We 
believe  that  there  are  many  friends  who  will  take  a 
special  interest  in  the  girls,  and  that  there  are  some 
whose  trades  would  more  readily  enable  them  to  give 
articles  sutiable  for  girls  than  those  which  are  useful 
to  boys. 

Help  for  Mary  and  Magg^ie. 

Here  is  a  grand  opportunity  for  Christian  people 
with  means  to  take  their  places  among  the  first  foun- 
ders of  this  new  institution,  and  if  they  judge  that 
such  a  work  will  be  good  and  useful,  we  hope  that 
they  will  without  fail,  and  without  delay,  come  to  our 
assistance  in  this  fresh  branch  of  service.  We  cannot 
afford  to  lose  a  single  penny  from  the  funds  for  the 
boys,  but  this  work  for  the  girls  must  be  somethinor 


STOCKWELL   ORPHANAGE.  175 

extra  and  above.  You  helped  Willie  and  Tommy; 
will  you  not  help  Mary  and  Maggie  ? 

It  is  very  needful  to  add  that  foolish  persons  often 
say :  Mr.  Spurgeon  can  get  plenty  of  money,  and 
needs  no  help.  If  all  were  to  talk  in  this  fashion, 
where  would  our  many  works  drift  to  ?  Mr.  Spurgeon 
does  get  large  sums,  but  not  a  penny  more  than  the 
various  works  require,  and  he  gets  it  because  God 
moves  His  people  to  give  it,  as  he  hopes,  good  reader, 
He  may  move  you. 

We  have  no  personal  end  to  serve  ;  we  do  not,  di- 
rectly or  indirectly,  gain  a  single  penny  by  the  Or- 
phanage, College,  or  any  other  societies  over  which 
we  preside  ;  neither  have  we  any  wealthy  persons 
around  us  who  are  at  loss  to  know  how  to  dispose  of 
their  property;  but  our  hard-working  church  keeps 
continually  consecrating  its  offerings,  and  our  friends 
far  and  near  think  upon  us.  Our  treasury  is  the 
bounty  of  God  ;  our  motto  is  :  The  Lord  will  Provide. 
Past  mercy  forbids  a  doubt  as  to  the  future,  and  so  in 
the  name  of  God  we  set  up  our  banners. 

Work,  not  Miracles. 

The  girls*  part  is  not  yet  fully  complete,  but  it  soon 
will  be  so,  and  then  we  must  take  in  the  girls.  Now 
it  occurs  to  me  to  let  my  friends  know  the  increased 
need  which  has  arisen,  and  will  arise  from  the  doub- 
ling of  the  number  of  children.  The  income  must  by 
some  means  be  doublen.  My  trust  is  in  the  Lord 
alone,  for  whose  sake  I  bear  this  burden.  I  believe 
that  He  has  led  me  all  along  in  the  erection  and  carry- 


176  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

ing  on  of  this  enterprise,  and  I  am  also  well  assured 
that  His  own  hand  pointed  to  the  present  extension, 
and  supplied  the  means  for  making  it.  I  therefore 
rest  in  the  providence  of  God  alone. 

But  the  food  of  the  children  will  not  drop  as  manna 
from  heaven,  it  will  be  sent  in  a  way  which  is  more 
beneficial,  for  the  graces  of  His  children  will  be  dis- 
played in  the  liberality  which  will  supply  the  needs  of 
tl\p  orphans.  God  will  neither  feed  the  children  by 
angels  nor  by  ravens,  but  by  the  loving  gifts  of  His 
people.  It  is  needful,  therefore,  that  I  tell  my  friends 
of  our  need,  and  I  do  hereby  tell  them.  The  institu- 
tion will  need,  in  rough  figures,  about  one  thousand 
dollars  a  week.  This  is  a  large  sum,  and  when  I  think 
of  it  I  am  appalled  if  Satan  suggests  the  question  : 
"  What  if  the  money  does  not  come  in  ?  " 

But  it  is  nothing  to  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth 
to  feed  five  hundred  little  ones.  He  has  kept  two 
hundred  and  fifty  boys  for  these  years,  and  He  can  do 
the  like  for  the  same  number  of  girls.  Only  let  not 
His  stewards  say  that  there  is  no  need  at  Stockwell, 
for  there  is  great  and  crying  need  that  all  my  friends 
should  inquire  whether  they  may  not  wisely  render 
me  much  more  aid  than  they  have  done.  The  build- 
ings are  not  all  finished  yet,  nor  the  roads  made,  but 
this  will  soon  be  accomplished,  and  then  the  institution 
will  be  in  full  operation,  and  its  requirements  will  be 
great.  I  have  written  these  lines  with  a  measure  of 
reluctance  ;  and  I  hope  that  it  is  not  in  unbelief,  but  as 
a  reasonable  service,  that  I  have  thus  stated  the  case. 


CHAPTER   IX. 
The  Great  Preacher's  Last  Illness  and  Death. 

Alarming  Reports. — Messages  of  Sympathy. — Cheering  Words  from  the  Christian 
Endeavor  Convention  of  the  United  States. — Message  from  International 
Congregational  Council. — Letters  from  the  Prince  of  Wales  and  Mr.  Glad- 
stone.— Rays  of  Hope. — Anxiety  and  Fervent  Prayers. — Glowing  Eulogies.— 
Removal  to  Mentone. — Unfavorable  Reports. — The  Closing  Scene. — Immense 
Literary  Labors. 

Early  in  July,  1891,  alarming  reports  became 
current  concerning  Mr.  Spurgeon's  health.  It  was 
known  that  for  a  lonof  time  he  had  been  a  sufferer 
from  gout  and  kidney  complaint,  and  the  gravest  fears 
were  felt  lest  these  complaints  should  undermine  his 
otherwise  strong  constitution,  and  end  his  great  work. 

Daily  reports  were  issued  from  the  sick-chahiber ; 
all  the  newspapers  throughout  Christendom  contained 
references  to  the  illustrious  sufferer,  and  amone  all 
classes  of  persons  profound  sympathy  was  awakened  ; 
while  thousands  besides  Mr.  Spurgeon's  own  congre- 
gation prayed  earnestly  for  his  recovery.  On  the 
1 6th  of  July  the  Christian  World,  the  leading  relioious 
newspaper  of  London,  reported  as  follows : 

The  condition  of  Mr.  Spurgeon  is  now  regarded  as 
quite  beyond  human  aid.  Last  evening  he  had  further 
relapsed,  and  there  was  much  difficulty  in  getdng  him 
to  take  nourishment. 

12  (177) 


178 


REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 


On  Thursday  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  in  a  very  critical 
condition.  The  bulletin  issued  on  Friday  stated  that 
although  the  kidneys  were  acting  more  freely,  the 
delirium  continued,  and  he  was  still  very  prostrate. 
On    Saturday    Mrs.   Spurgeon    considered  him  "  no 


RESIDENCE  OF  C.  H.  SPURGEON. 


worse."     The  report  of  Sunday  afternoon  showed  a 
sliofht  change  for  the  better. 

Unfavora'ble  Reports. 

On  Monday  night  the  doctors  considered  his  con- 
dition less  favorable.  Tuesday's  bulletin  was  as  fol- 
lows: "Rev.  C..H.  Spurgeon  has  had  a  very  /estless 
niofht,  with  delirium.  The  waste  of  albumen  from  the 
kidneys  suddenly  increased,  and   the  prostration  of 


LAST    ILLNESS    AND    DEATH.  179 

Strength  Is  very  great."  The  next  clay's  official  bulletin 
was  still  more  alarming:  "After  a  restless  night,  Mr. 
Spurgeon  is  very  weak  this  morning.  The  heart's 
action  is  becoming  more  feeble,  and  the  amount  of 
nourishment  taken  is  less." 

The  intense  interest  felt  in  Mr.  Spurgeon's  condition 
Is  shown  by  the  messages  of  sympathy  that  literally 
pour  In  on  Mrs.  Spurgeon.  On  Friday  the  telegraph 
office  at  Beulah  Hill  was  completely  blocked  for  a 
considerable  part  of  the  day.  The  committee  of  the 
Baptist  Missionary  Society,  the  Nonconformist  min- 
isters of  Wrexham,  the  South  London  Presbytery,  the 
Primitive  Methodist  General  Committee,  the  British 
and  Foreign  Sailors'  Society,  an  assembly  of  ministers 
at  Grimsby,  a  meeting  of  the  Loyal  Orange  Institution 
at  Netley  Abbey,  the  London  Wesleyan  Council,  the 
Chesham  Sunday-school  Alliance,  the  Lambeth  Auxili- 
ary of  the  Sunday-school  Union,  and  the  Council  of 
the  Evanorellcal  Alliance  have  all  sent  teleoframs. 

Messages  of  Synipatliy. 

Letters  and  telegrams  have  also  been  received  from 
Chicago,  Ontario,  IMassachusetts,  and  many  other 
places.  General  Booth  sent  a  message  :  "  Four  thou- 
sand officers  of  the  Salvation  Army,  assembled  In 
council  at  Congress  Hall,  Clapton,  assure  you  of  their 
hearty  sympathy  and  united  prayers  for  Mr.  Spurgeon's 
recovery." 

The  rector  of  Newlngton,  the  parish  in  which  the 
Tabernacle  is  situated,  between  whom  and  Mr.  Spur- 
geon the  most  kindly  feeling   has  existed,  wrote  to 


180  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

Mrs.  Spurgeon  expressing  his  sympatliy,  and  hoping 
that  her  husband's  hfe,  so  precious  to  her  and  his 
flock,  might  be  spared.  The  Bishop  of  Rochester 
telegraphed:  "As  I  am  myself  ill  and  unable  to  call 
and  inquire  for  Mr.  Spurgeon,  I  am  anxious  to  express 
to  you  my  warm  sympathy  in  your  anxiety." 

Kind  Words  from  the  United  States. 

The  Young  People's  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor, 
in  convention,  more  than  12,000  strong,  sent  "love and 
prayers  "  from  Minneapolis,  U.  S.  A.  M.  le  Pasteur 
Saillens,  of  Paris,  telegraphed :  "  We  offer  constant 
prayers  for  your  dear  husband  and  yourself"  Dr.  Mac- 
lagan,  Archbishop-Designate  of  York,  sent  "prayer- 
ful sympathy."  The  International  Congregational 
Council  sent  an  expression  of  profound  affection  for, 
and  tender  sympathy  with,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spurgeon, 
before  commencing  business  at  the  Memorial  Hall. 

During  the  opening  services  of  the  Council  earnest 
prayer  was  offered  for  the  recovery  of  Mr.  Spurgeon, 
and  after  the  elections  had  been  disposed  of,  a  resolu- 
tion expressive  of  sympathy  with  Mrs.  Spurgeon,  and 
the  earnest  prayers  of  the  Assembly  that  the  valuable 
life  of  her  husband  might  be  spared  to  the  churches. 
The  hearty  manner  in  which  the  resolution  (which  was 
forwarded  by  telegram)  was  carried,  showed  how 
brotherly  feeling  could  dominate  denominational  dis- 
tinctions and  theological  differences. 

Letter  From  Mrs.  Spurgeon. 

Later,  the  following  letter  was  heard  with  sympa- 
thetic interest: — 


LAST   ILLNESS   AND   DEATH.  181 

Mrs.  Spurgeon  is  very  grateful  for  the  sympathy^ 
and  Christian  love  expressed  in  the  resolution  passed 
by  the  International  Council  of  Congregationalists. 
The  way  is  very  dark  just  now,  but  the  light  of  God's 
love  is  beyond  the  darkness.  The  prayers  of  all  are 
still  needed,  for  the  dear  patient's  condition  is  still 
very  critical.  Nothing  is  impossible  with  God,  and  we 
still  hope,  saying  with  all  our  hearts,  "God's  will  be 
done."  Please  to  accept  the  warmest  thanks  of  Mrs. 
Spurgeon  and  of  yours  sincerely,         ^    Spurgeon. 

Most  kindly  allusion  was  made  by  Canon  Sinclair 
on  Sunday  afternoon  at  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  to  Mr. 
Spurgeon's  protracted  illness,  and  the  prayers  of  the 
conofreoation  were  asked.  Amono-  those  who  made 
personal  calls  during  the  week  were  Mrs.  Benson, 
who  left  the  Archbishop's  card  with  her. 

Prayer  meetings  were  held  through  the  week  at 
the  Tabernacle,  and  were  largely  attended.  On  Mon- 
day Dr.  Clifford,  Rev.  Newman  Hall,  Rev.  Arthur 
Mursell,  and  Mr.  Cuff  were  among  those  present. 
On  Tuesday  numbers  of  people  were  waiting  as  early 
as  half-past  six  for  the  seven  o'clock  prayer  meeting, 
many  of  these  being  old  pensioners  from  the  neigh- 
boring almshouses.  The  loving  sympathy  of  friends 
from  all  parts  of  the  world  is  greatly  appreciated,  not 
only  by  Mrs.  Spurgeon  and  Rev.  J.  A.  Spurgeon,  but 
by  the  church  deacons,  who  expressed  their  gratitude 
in  a  statement  issued  on  Sunday. 

Inquiries  from  the  Prince  of  Wales. 

By  command  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  Colonel  Knol- 


182  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

lys  wrote  to  Dr.  Kidd,  making  inquiries  concerning 
Mr.  Spurgeon's  condition,  asking  the  doctor,  in  the 
event  of  his  having  an  opportunity,  to  convey  the 
expression  of  His  Royal  Highness'  sympathy  to  Mr. 
Spurgeon  in  his  illness.  Dr.  Kidd  read  that  letter  at 
his  patient's  bedside  yesterday  morning,  when  Mr. 
Spurgeon  remembered  having  on  a  former  occasion 
received  a  communication  from  the  Heir-Apparent. 

Mrs.  Spurgeon  has  been  enabled  to  keep  up  so  well 
that  she  seems  to  have  been  specially  strengthened 
for  the  ordeal  she  has  been  passing  through.  Those 
only  to  whom  he  has  been  accustomed  have  been 
allowed  to  be  in  attendance  on  Mr.  Spurgeon.  One  of 
these  is  the  faithful  man-servant  known  to  all  visitors  as 
George,  while  the  other  men-servants  have  taken  turns 
by  night.  Mr.  Spurgeon  has  never  been  unconscious, 
nor  has  he  all  along  ever  been  delirious  in  the  sense 
of  not  knowing  those  about  him.  He  has  often  asked 
for  his  private  secretary ;  he  has  sometimes  been 
attended  by  his  other  secretary,  Mr.  Keys ;  and  when 
visited  by  Dr.  Russell  Reynolds  he  remembered  hav- 
ing seen  the  Doctor  on  a  certain  occasion  at  Mentone. 

One  Catholic  priest  in  charge  of  a  garden  party 
prayed  for  Mr.  Spurgeon's  permanent  recovery ;  and 
Ritualists  have  likewise  remembered  him  in  their 
devotions. 

Letter  from  Mr.  Gladstone. 

Mrs.  Spurgeon  has  received  the  following  letter 
from  Mr.  Gladstone: 


LAST   ILLNESS   AND   DEATH.  18S 

Corton,  Lowestoft,  July  16. 
My  dear  Madam, — In  my  own  home,  darkened  at 
the  present  time,  I  have  read  with  studied  interest 
daily  accounts  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's  illness,  and  I  cannot 
help  conveying-  to  you  the  earnest  assurance  of  my 
sympathy  with  you  and  with  him,  and  of  my  cordial 
admiration  not  only  of  his  splendid  powers,  but  still 
more  of  his  devoted  and  unfailing  character.  May  I 
humbly  commend  you  and  him,  in  all  contingencies,  to 
the  infinite  stores  of  Divine  love  and  mercy,  and  sub- 
scribe myself,  my  dear  Madame,  faithfully  yours, 

W.  E.  Gladstone. 

Mrs  Spurgeon  sent  the  following  reply,  the  post- 
script being  in  her  husband's  handwriting: 

Westwood,  Upper  Norwood,  July  18,  1891. 
Dear  Mr.  Gladstone, — Your  words  of  sympathy 
have  a  special  significance  and  tenderness  coming 
from  one  who  has  just  passed  through  the  deep  waters 
which  seem  now  to  threaten  me.  I  thank  you  warmly 
for  your  expression  of  regard  for  my  beloved  husband, 
and  with  all  my  heart  1  pray  that  the  consolations  of 
God  may  abound  toward  you  even  as  they  do  to  me. 
Although  we  cannot  consider  the  dear  patient  out  of 
danger  the  doctors  have  to-day  issued  a  somewhat 
more  hopeful  bulletin.  I  feel  it  an  honor  to  be  allowed 
to  say  that  I  shall  ever  be  your  grateful  friend. 

S.  Spurgeon. 

P.  S. — Yours  is  a  word  of  love  such  as  those  only 
write  who  have  been  in  the  King's  country,  and  have 
seen  much  of  His  face.     My  heart's  love  to  you. 

C.  H.  Spurgeon. 


U 

< 

Pi 

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< 
H 

Is 

<; 

H 

o 

o 
(^ 

h 


(184) 


REV.  C.    H.   SPURGEON   IN   HIS   PULPIT. 


LAST   ILLNESS   AND  DEATH.  185 

A  Gleam  of  Hope. 

On  giving  the  news  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's  condition  to 
the  congregation  on  Sunday  morning,  Mr.  Stott  said 
that  hope  of  the  pastor's  recovery  was  being  strength- 
ened, but  they  must  keep  on  praying  rather  than  yield 
to  too  pleasurable  excitement ;  for  Mr.  Spurgeon  was 
not  yet  "  out  of  the  wood."  Under  the  most  happy 
circumstances,  it  would  still  be  some  time  before  the 
patient  could  become  convalescent. 

Rev.  W.  Stott  presided  at  the  Monday  evening 
prayer  meeting  in  the  Tabernacle.  Rev.  J,  A.  Spur- 
geon, who  had  a  sore  throat  and  a  voice  weak  from 
cold,  said  that  he  had  seen  his  brother  in  the  course 
of  the  day,  and  although  he  was  seriously  ill,  he  did 
not  look  like  a  dying  man.  Weak  as  he  was,  he  might 
yet  be  restored.  Still  he  was  very  seriously  ill,  and 
their  hope  was  only  in  God,  who  could  restore  him. 
When  at  prayer  concerning  his  brother,  he  had  had  a 
a  struggle,  but  he  had  at  last  left  it  in  God's  hands. 
Tliey  left  all  to  God,  but  when  they  had  done  that, 
they  felt  that  they  could  not  let  Him  go  until  they  had 
their  pastor  back. 

Mr.  James  Spurgeon  went  on  to  say  that  his  brother 
was  happy  in  his  mind  and  was  contented.  Notwith- 
standing all  that  they  had  heard  about  his  wanderings, 
his  heart  had  not  wandered  from  Christ.  He  was  not 
in  trouble,  and  not  in  much  pain,  and  God  was  to  be 
thanked  that  in  that  respect  he  was  as  he  was.  They 
wanted  him  back,  but  would  still  say,  "Thy  will  be 
done."     The  Lord  has  never  made  a  mistake,   and 


186  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

never  would  do  so.  How  many  were  thinking  of  the 
sick  pastor,  and  how  many  were  reading  his  sermons 
who  had  not  done  so  for  years.  Thus  good  would 
come  out  of  the  affliction. 

A  Voice  to  the  Nation. 

If  in  the  end  prayers  did  not  avail,  and  the  physi- 
cians found  that  that  they  could  do  nothing  more, 
then  they  would  have  to  believe  that  it  was  as  the 
pastor  had  himself  hinted  some  time  ago,  namely, 
that  his  time  was  come,  and  that  his  work  was  done. 
The  numbers  of  letters  and  telefjrams  received  at 
Westvvood  was  marvelous.  God  was  speaking  to  the 
nation,  and  it  might  be  to  the  Church  ;  people  now 
saw  what  a  servant  England  had  in  C.  H.  Spurgeon. 
If  he  was  raised  up  again  to  preach  the  Gospel,  per- 
haps the  nation  would  learn  more  to  appreciate  his 
testimony. 

As  regarded  the  prayer-meetings  they  were  hold- 
ing, they  could  not  fail  to  be  a  mighty  lesson  to  those 
who  took  part  in  them,  apart  from  Mr.  Spurgeon. 
How  little  earth  seemed  in  comparison  with  eternal 
things  !  God  might  have  a  purpose  in  dealing  with 
them  as  He  was  doing.  Then  what  a  wonderful  spirit 
of  prayer  was  manifest.  There  had  been  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  prayers  offered  on  the  preceding 
Monday,  and  one  hundred  had  been  offered  in  their 
meetings  of  that  day.  It  was  decided  that  their 
meetings  should  be  continued  until  there  was  a 
decided  change  in  their  pastor's  condition  one  way  or 


LAST   ILLNESS   AND   DEATH.  187 

the  Other — till   their   Father  in   Heaven  should  say, 
"  It  is  enouo^h." 

Clieeriiig  News. 

Shortly  before  nine  o'clock  a  telegram  arrived  from 
Westwood  orivinor  the  cheerinir  news  of  a  slisjht  im- 
provement  in  Mr.  Spurgeon's  general  state.  The 
internal  congestion  was  somewhat  diminished,  the 
gout  was  less  painful,  while  the  delirium  was  milder, 
intervals  of  accurate  memory  occurring.  The  condi- 
tion was  one  of  grave  danger,  but  there  was  said  to 

be  some  hope. 

Words  of  Appreciation. 

One  of  the  foremost  journals  of  the  metropolis 
gave  expression  to  the  public  sympathy,  and  voiced 
the  estimate  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's  life  and  work,  as 
follows : 

"  While  there  is  life  there  is  hope,"  and  we  rest  in 
confidence  that  unless  the  will  of  God  our  Saviour  see 
that  the  kingdom  of  his  dear  Son  will  be  better 
served  by  this  his  true  and  faithful  servant  being 
removed  to  the  sanctuary  above,  our  beloved  and 
honored  brother,  C.  H.  Spurgeon,  will  be  raised  up 
to  continue  his  labors  in  the  gospel  on  earth. 

But  if  he  should  be  taken  up,  a  crowning  testimony 
will  have  been  given  to  the  profound  impression 
made  upon  his  fellow-Christians  and  upon  his  fellow- 
men  througliout  the  world,  of  all  denominations  and 
of  all  shades  of  thought,  by  his  long  and  faithful 
witness  to  the  truth.  Men  and  women  of  all  sects 
and  creeds,  of  every  rank  and  position  have,  from 


188  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

all  parts  of  the  world,  written,  telegraphed,  or  called 
to  express  their  deep  sympathy  ;  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands expect  with  eager  interest  the  morning  paper, 
and  the  first  thing  they  look  for  is  the  bulletin  de- 
scribing Mr.  Spurgeon's  condition. 

Why  the  People  are  Moved. 

This  phenomenal  interest  is  not  due  alone  to 
personal  affection  for  a  beloved  brother  or  father 
in  Christ ;  to  admiration  of  his  fearless  character, 
his  marked  individuality,  his  English  tenacity ;  to 
Christian  reverence  for  one  who  has  scattered  the 
gospel  broadcast  throughout  the  world,  largely  by 
his  voice,  and  far  more  largely  by  the  press ;  to 
regard  for  the  orphans'  friend,  to  respect  for  the 
gifted  evangelist,  pastor  and  teacher,  who  has  exer- 
cised his  God-given  gifts  of  perfecting  other  men 
for   the  work  of  ministerino-    though   all    these   ele- 

o'  o 

ments  are  included  in  it. 

But  lying  beneath  them  all  is  a  conviction  of  the 

truth  of   the  gospel  which    he    has    ministered — the 

gospel  of  the  atonement ;    the  good   tidings   of  the 

kingdom  of  God  ;  the  unwavering  witness  of  a  man 

true  to  the  core   to  "  the   precious   blood  of  Christ, 

as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without  spot,  by 

whom  we  believe  in  God  who  raised   him    up   from 

the  dead,  and  gave. him  glory  that  our  faith  and  hope 

may  be  in  God." 

The  Highest  Praise. 

No  higher  honor  could  be  accorded  to  a  man  than 
that,  lying  helpless,  suffering,  delirious,  upon  his  bed 


LAST   ILLNESS   AND    DEATH.  189 

of  death,  the  world  was  moved  with  sympathy  and 
tender  love,  because,  like  Daniel,  he  was  found  faithful 
to  his  God  ;  because  he  chose  to  have  the  gospel  pure 
and  plain,  as  pulse  and  water,  rather  than  spiced  with 
delicacies  for  the  oreat  and  wise. 

Yet  though  we  speak  of  the  possibility  of  his  being 
taken,  we  fervently  unite  in  the  universal,  loving 
prayer  that  God  may  restore  his  servant  to  years  of 
better  health  and  greater  usefulness  than  before  he 
was  laid  so  low. 

Removal  to  France. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  continued  to  improve  and  was  finally 
able  to  make  the  journey  to  Mentone,  where  the 
climate  and  surroundings  had  proved  on  several  occa- 
sions to  be  highly  beneficial  to  his  health.  Here  he 
spent  the  last  months  of  1891,  apparently  gaining 
strength,  yet  very  slowly,  and  hopes  were  entertained 
that  he  would  ultimately  recover.  He  became  well 
enough  to  correct  the  proofs  of  his  sermons,  the  pub- 
lication of  which  w^as  continued,  but  his  progress 
towards  recovery  was  so  slow  as  to  be  scarcely  per- 
ceptible. 

Suddenly  in  the  latter  part  of  January,  1892,  news 
came  that  he  had  met  with  a  serious  relapse.  At 
once  the  fears  of  his  multitude  of  friends  and  admir- 
ers were  revived.  For  several  days  reports  were 
received  which  were  far  from  reassuring.  The  follow- 
ing despatch  relates  the  story  of  his  death : 

"  Mentone,  France,  Jan.  3 1 . — The  celebrated  divine, 
Charles  Haddon  Spurgeon,  died  here  fifteen  minutes 


190  REV.   CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

before  midnight  to-night.  Mrs.  Spurgeon,  his  private 
secretary,  and  two  or  three  friends  were  present  at 
the  last  moment.  He  was  unconscious  when  the  end 
came,  and  had  not  spoken  for  some  hours. 

"  Mr.  Spurgeon  did  not  recognize  his  wife  through- 
out the  day  ;  he  refused  all  food,  and  although  milk 
was  wiven  him  it  was  not  retained.  A  laro-e  number 
of  telegrams  of  inquiry  and  sympathy  were  received 
by  the  pastor's  family." 

Thus  ended  the  life  of  the  celebrated  divine,  whose 
voice  had  held  listening  thousands  spell-bound,  and 
whose  influence  had  been  felt  in  all  the  earth. 

Enornions  Literary  Work. 

Glancing  at  Mr.  Spurgeon's  work  it  will  be  seen 
that  it  was  enormous.  Besides  editing-  and  furnishingf 
most  of  the  matter  for  his  monthly  magazine,  The 
Sword  and  Trowel,  since  January  i,  1865,  he  wrote 
"The  Saint  and  His  Saviour,"  "  The  Treasury  of 
David,  an  Exposition  of  the  Psalms,''  in  seven  octavo 
volumes ;  "  The  New  Park  Street  Pulpit,"  and  the 
"  Metropolitan  Tabernacle  Pulpit,"  which  contains 
about  two  thousand  of  his  weekly  sermons,  from  1855 
to  1889,  making  thirty  large  volumes.  Also  "  Lectures 
to  My  Students,"  "  Commenting  and  Commentaries,'' 
"John  Ploughman,"  the  "Cheque  Book  of  the  Bank 
of  Faith,"  and  various  other  publications.  Many  of 
these  have  been  translated  into  various  tongues. 

In  October,  1887,  Mr.  Spurgeon  withdrew  from  the 
Baptist  Union,  In  announcing  his  decision  to  with- 
draw, and  replying  to  his  critics,  he  said:  "To  pursue 


LAST   ILLNESS    AND   DEATH.  191 

union  at  the  expense  of  the  truth  is  treason  to  Jesus. 
To  tamper  with  His  doctrines  is  to  become  traitors  to 
Him.  We  have  before  us  the  wretched  spectacle  of 
professedly  orthodox  Christians  publicly  avowing 
union  with  those  who  deny  the  faith,  and  deny  the 
personality  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Mr.  Spurgeon  had 
long  been  contemplating  the  act  of  secession.  He 
announced  his  determination  of  withdrawino-  if  certain 
other  clergymen,  who  were  for  some  reason  distaste- 
ful to  him,  were  not  excommunicated.  This,  of  course, 
the  Union  refused  to  do.  The  resignation  which  he 
tendered  was  accepted,  and  the  great  church  which 
he  had  built  up  went  with  him  without  question. 

Mr.  Spiirgeoii's  Obsequies. 

Upon  the  death  of  the  celebrated  divine,  the  news- 
papers throughout  the  world,  both  secular  and  re- 
ligious, contained  lengthy  obituary  notices  which  were 
highly  eulogistic  of  the  man  and  his  work.  He  had 
died  at  the  very  height  of  his  power  and  usefulness, 
yet  his  life  had  been  so  busy  that  the  labor  of  half  a 
dozen  ordinary  men  had  been  condensed  into  it.  It 
was  difficult  for  his  congregation  to  believe  that  they 
never  would  again  hear  the  rich,  magnetic  voice  of 
their  beloved  pastor.  There  were  demonstrations  of 
sorrow  on  every  hand  ;  the  great  heart  of  the  public 
was  moved  and  throbbed  with  sympathy  and  grief. 

The  announcement  was  made  at  once  that  the 
body  would  be  removed  from  Mentone  to  London, 
and  that  a  public  funeral  would  be  held.  The  obse- 
quies were  attended   by  thousands  of   all   religious 


192  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

denominations,  and  all  classes  of  people.  Such  a 
demonstration  has  seldom  been  witnessed  even  in 
the  great  metropolis.  Every  evidence  of  the  respect 
in  which  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  held  was  manifested, 
while  all  expressed  sincere  sorrow  that  his  wonderful 
life-work  was  finished. 

It  was  gratifying  to  know  that  his  last  days  were 
cheered  by  the  tender  ministries  of  his  family  and 
friends,  while  he  expressed  his  unfaltering  faith 
in  the  great  truths  he  had  taught,  and  his  uncom- 
plaining submission  to  the  will  of  that  gracious  provi- 
dence which  has  a  purpose  even  in  the  sparrow'?, 
fall.  He  desired  further  life  only  that  he  might  carry 
on  the  work  to  which  all  his  powers  had  been 
devoted. 

As  he  had  spoken  by  his  living  voice  to  myriads,  so 
by  his  death  he  gave  a  more  impressive  lesson  to  the 
world.  At  the  age  of  fifty-seven  he  was  called  up 
higher,  and  "all  the  trumpets  of  heaven  sounded," 
and  his  work,  which  was  not  to  be  measured  merely 
by  years,  was  ended. 

And  now  the  great  champion  of  the  evangelistic 
faith,  the  flaming  zealot,  the  magnetic  orator,  the  pro- 
lific author,  the  one  man  who  more  than  any  other 
affected  the  whole  religious  world,  is  laid  to  his  final 
rest. 

Peace  to  his  honored  ashes !  May  his  rest  be  as 
sweet  and  satisfying,  as  his  life  was  laborious  and 
crowned  with  suffering. 


BOOK   II. 

SERMONS  AND  LECTURES  BY  REV.  C.  H. 
SPURGEON. 

HANDS   FULL  OF  HONEY. 

"And  Samson  turned  aside  to  see  the  j:arcase  of  the  lion  :  and,  twniold,  there 
was  a  swarm  of  bees  and  honey  in  the  carcase  of  the  lion.  And  he  took  thereof 
in  his  hands,  and  went  on  eating,  and  came  to  his  father  and  mother,  and  he 
gave  them,  and  they  did  eat:  but  he  told  not  them  that  he  had  taken  the  honey 
out  of  the  carcase  of  the  lion." — Judges  xiv,  S,  9, 

It  was  a  sineular  circumstance  that  a  man  unarmed 
should  have  slain  a  lion  in  the  prime  of  its  vigor; 
and  yet  more  strange  that  a  swarm  of  bees  should 
have  taken  possession  of  the  dried  carcase,  and  have 
filled  it  with  their  honey.  In  that  country,  what  with 
beasts,  birds  and  insects,  and  the  dry  heat,  a  dead 
body  is  soon  cleansed  from  all  corruption,  and  the 
bones  are  clean  and  white:  still  the  killinof  of  the  lion 
and  the  finding  of  the  honey  make  up  a  remarkable 
story.  These  singular  circumstances  became  after- 
wards the  subject  of  a  riddle  ;  but  with  that  riddle 
we  have  no  concern  at  this  time.  Samson  himself 
is  a  riddle.  He  was  not  only  a  riddle-maker;  but  he 
was  himself  an  enigma  very  difficult  to  explain  :  with 
his  personal  character  I  have  at  this  time  little  or 
nothing  to  do.  We  are  not  to-day  resting  at  the 
house  of  **Gaius,  mine  host,"  where  the  pilgrims 
^  193 


194  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

amused  themselves  with  a  dish  of  nuts  after  dinner; 
but  we  are  on  the  march,  and  must  attend  to  the  more 
important  matter  of  refreshing  and  inspiriting  those 
who  are  in  our  company.  Neither  are  we  going  to 
discuss  difficukies ;  but  as  Samson  took  the  honey  with- 
out being  stung,  so  would  we  gain  instruction  without 
debate.  We  have  in  these  days  so  much  to  do,  that 
we  must  make  practical  use  of  every  incident  that 
comes  before  us  in  the  word  of  God.  My  one  design 
is  to  cheer  the  desponding  and  stir  up  all  God's 
people  to  greater  diligence  in  his  service.  I  conceive 
that  the  text  may  legitimately  be  employed  for  this 
purpose.  By  the  help  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  even  after 
this  lapse  of  time,  we  may  find  honey  in  the  lion. 

The  particular  part  of  the  incident  which  is  recorded 
in  these  two  verses  appears  to  have  been  passed  over 
by  those  who  have  written  upon  Samson's  life :  I 
suppose  it  appeared  to  be  too  inconsiderable.  They 
are  taken  up  with  his  festive  riddle,  but  they  omit  the 
far  more  natural  and  commendable  fact  of  his  brinor- 
ing  forth  the  honey  in  his  hands  and  presenting  it  to 
his  father  and  mother.  This  is  the  little  scene  to 
which  I  direct  your  glances.  It  seems  to  me  that  the 
Israelitish  hero  with  a  slain  lion  in  the  background, 
standing  out  in  the  open  road  with  his  hands  laden 
with  masses  of  honeycomb  and  dripping  with  honey, 
which  he  holds  out  to  his  parents,  makes  a  fine  picture 
worthy  of  the  greatest  artist.  And  what  a  type  we 
have  here  of  our  Divine  Lord  and  Master,  Jesus,  the 
conqueror  of  death  and  hell.     He  has  destroyed  the 


HANDS   FULL   OF   HONEY.  195 

lion  that  roared  upon  us  and  upon  him.  He  has 
shouted  "victory  "  over  all  our  foes.  "  It  is  finished  " 
was  His  note  of  triumph ;  and  now  he  stands  in  the 
midst  of  his  church  with  his  hands  full  of  sweetness 
and  consolation,  presenting  them  to  those  of  whom 
he  says,  "  these  are  my  brother,  and  sister,  and 
mother."  To  each  one  of  us  who  believe  in  him  he 
gives  the  luscious  food  which  he  has  prepared  for  us 
by  the  overthrow  of  our  foes;  he  bids  us  come  and 
eat  that  we  may  have  our  lives  sweetened  and  our 
hearts  filled  with  joy.  To  me  the  comparison  seems 
wonderfully  apt  and  suggestive  :  I  see  our  triumphant 
Lord  laden  with  sweetness,  holding  it  forth  to  all  his 
brethren,  and  inviting  them  to  share  in  his  joy. 

But,  beloved,  it  is  written,  "As  he  is,  so  are  we  also 
in  this  world."  All  that  are  true  Christians  are,  in  a 
measure,  like  the  Christ  whose  name  they  bear,  and 
it  is  to  his  image  that  we  are  finally  to  be  conformed. 
When  he  shall  appear  we  shall  be  like  him,  for  we  shall 
see  him  as  he  is ;  and  meanwhile,  in  proportion  as  we 
see  him  now,  "  we  are  changed  into  the  same  image, 
from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord." 
The  Samson  type  may  well  serve  as  the  symbol  of 
every  Christian  in  the  world.  The  believer  has  been 
helped  by  divine  grace  in  his  spiritual  conflicts,  and  he 
has  known  "  the  victory  which  overcometh  the  world, 
even  our  faith."  He  has  thus  been  made  more  than 
a  conqueror  through  him  that  loved  us,  and  now  he 
stands  in  the  midst  of  his  fellow-men  invitingf  them  to 
Jesus.     With  the  honey  in  his  hands,  which  he  con- 


196  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

tinues  still  to  feast  upon,  he  displays  the  heavenly 
sweetness  to  all  that  are  round  about  him,  saying,  "O 
taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good :  blessed  is  the 
man  that  trusteth  in  him." 

I  have  before  now  met  with  that  popular  artist  Gus- 
tave  Dore,  and  suggested  subjects  to  him.  Had  he 
survived  among  us,  and  had  another  opportunity  oc- 
curred, I  would  have  pressed  him  to  execute  a  statue 
of  Samson  handing  out  the  honey:  strength  distribut- 
ing sweetness ;  and  it  might  have  served  as  a  per- 
petual reminder  of  what  a  Christian  should  be — a 
Conqueror  and  a  Comforter,  slaying  lions  and  distrib- 
uting honey.  The  faithful  servant  of  God  wrestles 
wuth  the  powers  of  evil ;  but  with  far  greater  delight 
he  speaks  to  his  friends  and  companions,  saying,  "Eat 
ye  that  which  is  good,  and  let  your  souls  delight  them- 
selves in  sweetness."  Set  the  statue  before  your 
mind's  eye,  and  now  let  me  speak  about  it. 

Three  touches  may  suffice.  First,  the  believer's  life 
has  its  cojiflicts ;  secondly,  the  believer  s  life  has  its 
sweets  ;  and,  thirdly,  the  believe?^' s  life  leads  him  to  com- 
municate of  those  sweets  to  others.  Here  is  room  for 
profitable  meditation. 

I.  First,  then,  the  believer's  life  has  its  conflicts. 
To  become  a  Christian  is  to  enlist  for  a  soldier.  To 
become  a  believer  is  to  enter  upon  a  pilgrimage,  and 
the  road  is  often  rough :  the  hills  are  steep,  the 
valleys  are  dark,  giants  block  the  way,  and  robbers 
lurk  in  corners.  The  man  who  reckons  that  he  can 
glide  into  heaven  without  a  struggle  has  made  a  great 


HANDS  FULL   OF   HONEY.  197 

mistake.  No  cross  no  crown :  no  sweat  no  sweet : 
no  conflict  no  conquest.  These  conflicts,  if  we  take 
the  case  of  Samson  as  our  symbol,  begin  early  m  the 
life  of  the  believer.  While  Samson  was  a  child,  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  moved  him  in  the  camps  of  Dan — 
see  the  last  verse  of  the  thirteenth  chapter;  and 
as  soon  as  he  was  on  the  verge  of  manhood,  he  must 
match  himself  with  a  lion.  God  who  intended  that 
his  servant  should  smite  the  Philistines,  and  should 
check  their  proud  oppression  of  his  people  Israel, 
began  early  to  train  the  hero  for  his  life's  conflict.  So, 
when  Samson  was  going  to  seek  a  wife,  he  turned 
aside  into  the  vineyards  of  Timnath,  and  a  lion  roared 
upon  him.  Yes,  and  the  young  believer,  who  as  yet 
has  not  wrestled  with  the  powers  of  darkness,  will  not 
be  long  before  he  hears  the  roar  of  the  lion,  and  finds 
himself  in  the  presence  of  the  great  Adversary.  Very 
soon  we  learn  the  value  of  the  prayer,  "  Deliver  us 
from  the  evil  one ! "  Most  of  the  Lord's  servants 
have  been  men  of  war  from  their  youth  up.  Without 
are  fightings  even  when  within  there  are  no  fears. 
This  early  combat  with  the  savage  beast  was  intended 
by  God  to  let  him  know  his  strength  when  under  the 
influence  of  the  Spirit,  and  to  train  him  for  his  future 
combats  with  Israel's  enemies.  He  that  is  to  smite 
the  Philistines  hip  and  thigh  with  a  great  slaughter, 
until  he  has  laid  them  heaps  on  heaps  by  his  single 
prowess,  must  begin  by  rending  a  lion  with  his  naked 
hands.  He  was  to  learn  war  in  the  same  school  as 
another   and   a  greater   hero,  who  afterwards   said, 


198  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

"  Thy  servant  slew  both  the  lion  and  the  bear,  and 
this  uncircumcised  Philistine  shall  be  as  one  of  them." 
Soldiers  are  made  by  war.  You  cannot  train  veter- 
ans or  create  victors  except  by  batdes.  As  in  the 
wars  of  armies  so  is  it  in  spiritual  contests :  men  must 
be  trained  for  victory  over  evil  by  combat  with  it. 
Hence  "  it  is  good  for  a  man  that  he  bare  the  yoke  in 
his  youth ;  "  for  it  will  not  gall  his  shoulders  in  after 
years.  It  is  assuredly  a  dangerous  thing  to  be 
altogether  free  from  trouble  :  in  silken  ease  the  soldier 
loses  his  prowess.  Look  at  Solomon,  one  of  the 
greatest  and  wisest,  and  yet,  I  might  say,  one  of  the 
least  and  most  foolish  of  men.  It  was  his  fatal  privi- 
lege to  sit  upon  a  throne  of  gold  and  sun  himself  in 
the  brilliance  of  unclouded  prosperity,  and  hence  his 
heart  soon  went  astray,  and  he  fell  from  his  high 
places.  Solomon  in  his  early  days  had  no  trouble, 
for  no  war  was  then  raging,  and  no  enemy  worth 
notice  was  then  living.  His  life  ran  smoothly  on,  and 
he  was  lulled  into  a  dreamy  sleep,  the  sleep  of  the 
voluptuous.  He  had  been  happier  far  had  he  been, 
like  his  father,  called  from  his  earliest  days  to  trial 
and  conflict;  for  this  miofht  have  tauo-ht  him  to  stand 
fast  upon  the  pinnacle  of  glory  whereon  the  prov- 
idence of  God  had  placed  him.  Learn,  then,  O 
young  brother,  that  if,  like  Samson,  you  are  to  be  a 
hero  for  Israel,  you  must  early  be  inured  to  suffering 
and  daring,  in  some  form  or  other.  When  you  step 
aside  and  seek  for  meditation  in  the  quiet  of  the  vine- 
yard a  young  lion  may  roar  upon  you  ;  even  as  in  the 


HANDS  FULL   OF   HONEY.  199 

earliest  days  of  your  Lord  and  Master's  public  service  he 
was  led  into  the  wilderness  to  be  tempted  of  the  devil. 
These  conflicts,  dear  friends,  may  often  be  very 
terrible.  By  a  young  lion  is  not  meant  a  whelp,  but 
a  lion  in  the  fulness  of  its  early  strength ;  not  yet 
slackened  in  its  pace,  or  curbed  in  its  fury  by  growing 
years.  Fresh  and  furious,  a  young  lion  is  the  worst 
kind  of  beast  that  a  man  can  meet  with.  Let  us 
expect  as  followers  of  Christ  to  meet  with  strong 
temptations,  fierce  persecutions,  and  severe  trials, 
which  will  lead  to  stern  conflicts.  Do  not  reckon, 
thou  that  art  yet  putting  on  thy  harness,  that  thou 
shalt  soon  put  it  off,  or  that  when  thou  puttest  it  off 
it  will  be  quite  as  bright  as  it  is  to-day.  It  will  be 
dimmed  with  blood  and  dust,  and  battered  by  many  a 
blow ;  perhaps  thy  foe  may  find  a  way  to  pierce  it, 
or  at  least  to  wound  thee  between  its  joints.  I  would 
have  every  man  begin  to  be  a  soldier  of  the  cross,  but 
I  would  at  the  same  time  have  him  count  the  cost; 
for  it  is  no  child's  play,  and  if  he  thinks  it  will  be 
such,  he  will  be  grievously  disappointed.  A  young 
believer  will,  on  a  sudden,  have  a  doubt  suggested  to 
him  of  which  he  never  heard  before ;  and  it  will  roar 
upon  him  like  a  young  lion  ;  neither  will  he  see  all  at 
once  how  to  dispose  of  it.  Or  he  may  be  placed  in 
singular  circumstances  where  his  duty  seems  to  run 
counter  to  the  tenderest  instincts  of  his  nature ;  here, 
too,  the  young  lion  will  roar  upon  him.  Or,  one  for 
whom  he  has  an  intense  respect  may  treat  him  ill 
because  he  is  a  follower  of  Christ,  and  the  affection 


200  SERMONS   AND  LECTURES. 

and  respect  which  he  feels  for  this  person  may  make 
his  opposition  the  more  grievous :  in  this  also  it  is 
with  him  as  when  a  lion  roareth.  Or  he  may  suffer 
a  painful  bereavement,  or  sustain  a  severe  loss ;  or  he 
may  have  a  disease  upon  him,  with  consequent  pains 
and  depressions,  and  these  may  cast  the  shadow  of 
death  upon  his  spirits;  so  that  again  a  young  lion 
roars  upon  him.  Brother,  sister,  let  us  reckon  upon 
this,  and  not  be  dismayed  by  it,  since  in  all  this  is  the 
life  of  our  spirit.  By  such  lessons  as  these  we  are 
taught  to  do  service  for  God,  to  sympathize  with  our 
fellow-Christians,  and  to  value  the  help  of  our 
gracious  Saviour.  By  all  these  we  are  weaned  from 
earth  and  made  to  hunger  for  that  eternal  glory  which 
is  yet  to  be  revealed,  of  which  we  may  truly  say,  "  No 
lion  shall  be  there,  neither  shall  any  ravenous  beast 
go  up  thereon."  These  present  evils  are  for  our 
future  good:  their  terror  is  for  our  teaching.  Trials 
are  sent  us  for  much  the  same  reason  that  the  Canaan- 
ites  were  permitted  to  live  in  the  Holy  Land,  that 
Israel  might  learn  war,  and  be  equipped  for  battle 
against  foreign  foes. 

These  conflicts  come  early,  and  they  are  very 
terrible ;  and,  moreover,  they  happen  to  us  when  we 
are  least  prepared  for  them.  Samson  was  not  hunting 
for  wild  beasts ;  he  was  enofaofed  on  a  much  more 
tender  business.  He  was  walking  in  the  vineyards 
of  Timnath,  thinking  of  anything  but  lions,  and 
"behold,"  says  the  Scripture,  "a  young  lion  roared 
against   him."     It   was   a   remarkable   and   startling 


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HANDS   FULL   OF   HONEY.  201 

occurrence.  He  had  left  his  father  and  mother  and 
was  quite  alone ;  no  one  was  within  call  to  aid  him  in 
meeting  his  furious  assailant.  Human  sympathy  is 
■exceedingly  precious,  but  there  are  points  in  our 
spintual  conflict  in  which  we  cannot  expect  to  receive 
it.  To  each  man  there  are  passages  in  life  too  narrow 
for  walking  two  abreast.  Upon  certain  crags  we 
must  stand  alone.  As  our  constitutions  differ,  so  our 
trials,  which  are  suited  to  our  constitutions,  must 
differ  also.  Each  individual  has  a  secret  with  which 
no  friend  can  intermeddle ;  for  every  life  has  its  mys- 
tery and  its  hid  treasure.  Do  not  be  ashamed,  young 
Christian,  if  you  meet  with  temptations  which  appear 
to  you  to  be  quite  singular :  we  have  each  one  thought 
the  same  of  his  trials.  You  imagine  that  no  one 
suffers  as  you  dOf  whereas  no  temptation  hath  hap- 
pened unto  you  but  such  as  is  common  to  man,  and 
God  will  with  the  temptation  make  a  way  of  escape 
that  you  may  be  able  to  bear  it.  Yet  for  the  time 
being  you  may  have  to  <^nter  into  fellowship  with  your 
Lord  when  he  trod  the  wine-press  alone,  and  of  the 
people  there  was  none  with  him.  Is  not  this  for  your 
good  ?  Is  not  this  the  wa))  to  strength  ?  What  kind 
of  piety  is  that  which  is  dependent  upon  the  friend- 
ship of  man  ?  What  sort  of  religion  is  that  which 
cannot  stand  alone  ?  Beloved  you  will  have  to  die 
alone,  and  you  need  therefore  grace  to  cheer  you  in 
solitude.  The  dear  wife  can  attend  you  weeping  to 
the  river's  brink,  but  into  the  chill  stream  she  cannot 
go  with  you  ;  and  if  you  have  not  a  religion  which 


^2  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

will  sustain  you  in  the  solitudes  of  life,  of  what  avail 
will  it  be  to  you  in  the  grim  lonesomeness  of  death  ? 
Thus  I  reckon  it  to  be  a  happy  circumstance  that  you 
are  called  to  solitary  conflict  that  you  may  test  your 
faith,  and  see  of  what  stuff  your  hope  is  made. 

The  contest  was  all  the  worse  for  Samson,  that  in 
addition  to  being  quite  alone,  "there  was  nothing  in 
his  hand."  This  is  the  most  remarkable  point  in  the 
narrative.  He  had  no  sword  or  hunter's  spear  with 
which  to  wound  the  lordly  savage:  he  had  not  even 
a  stout  staff  with  which  to  ward  of  his  attack.  Sam- 
son stood  an  unarmed,  unarmored  man  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  raging  beast.  So  we  in  our  early  temp- 
tations are  apt  to  think  that  we  have  no  weapon  for 
the  war,  and  we  do  not  know  what  to  do.  We  are 
made  to  cry  out,  "I  am  unprepared!  How  can  I 
meet  this  trial  ?  I  cannot  grasp  the  enemy  to  wrestle 
with  him.  What  am  I  to  do  ? "  Herein  will  the 
splendor  of  faith  and  glory  of  God  be  made  manifest, 
when  you  shall  slay  the  lion,  and  yet  it  shall  be  said 
of  you  '•  that  he  had  nothing  in  his  hand  " — nothing 
but  that  which  the  world  sees  not  and  values  not. 

Now,  go  one  step  further,  for  time  forbids  our  linger- 
ing here.  I  invite  you  to  remember  that  it  zvas  by  the 
Spirit  of  God  that  the  victory  was  won.  We  read, 
"And  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  mightily  upon  him, 
and  he  rent  him  as  he  would  have  rent  a  kid."  Let 
the  Holy  Spirit  help  us  in  our  trouble  and  we  need 
neither  company  nor  weapon  ;  but  without  him  what 
can  we  do  ?  Good  Bishop  Hall  says,  "  If  that  roaring 


HANDS  FULL   OF   HONET.  203 

lion,  that  goes  about  continually  seeking  whom  he 
may  devour,  find  us  alone  among  the  vineyards  of  the 
Philistines,  where  is  our  hope  ?  Not  in  our  heels,  he  is 
swifter  than  we:  not  in  our  weapons,  we  are  naturally 
unarmed;  not  in  our  hands,  which  are  weak  and  lan- 
guishing; but  in  the  Spirit  of  God,  by  whom  we  can 
do  all  things.  If  God  fight  in  us,  who  can  resist  us  ? 
There  is  a  stroncjer  lion  in  us  than  that  against  us." 

Here  is  our  one  necessity — to  be  endowed  with 
power  from  on  high :  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Helped  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  the  believer's  victory 
will  be  complete:  the  lion  shall  not  be  driven  away 
but  rent  in  pieces.  Girt  with  the  Spirit's  power,  our 
victory  shall  be  as  easy  as  it  will  be  perfect :  Samson 
rent  the  lion  as  though  it  were  a  little  lamb,  or  a  kid 
of  the  goats.  Well  said  Paul,  "  I  can  do  all  things 
through  Christ  that  strengtheneth  me."  Sin  is  soon 
overcome,  temptations  are  readily  refused,  affliction  is 
joyfully  borne,  persecution  is  gladly  endured,  when 
the  Spirit  of  glory  and  of  peace  resteth  upon  us. 
*'  With  God  all  things  are  possible  ;  "  and  as  the  be- 
liever is  with  God,  it  cometh  to  pass  that  all  things  are 
possible  to  him  that  believeth. 

If  we  were  surrounded  by  all  the  devils  in  hell  we 
need  not  fear  them  for  an  instant  if  the  Lord  be  on 
our  side.  We  are  mightier  than  all  hell's  leo-ions 
when  the  Spirit  is  mightily  upon  us.  If  we  were  to 
be  beaten  down  by  Satan  until  he  had  set  his  foot 
upon  our  breast,  to  press  the  very  life  out  of  us,  yet 
if  the  Spirit  of  God  helped  us  we  would  reach  out 


204  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

our  hand,  and  grasp  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is 
the  word  of  God,  and  we  would  repeat  the  feat  of 
Christian  with  Apollyon,  when  he  gave  the  fiend  such 
grievous  wounds  that  he  spread  his  dragon  wings  and 
flew  away.  Wherefore  fear  not,  ye  tried  ones,  but 
trust  in  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  your  conflict  shall 
speedily  end  in  victory.  Sometimes  our  conflict  is 
with  past  sin.  We  doubtfully  inquire,  "  How  can  it 
be  forgiven?"  The  temptation  vanishes  before  a 
sight  of  the  dying  Redeemer.  Then  inbred  lust  roars 
acrainst  us,  and  we  overcome  it  througrh  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb,  for  "  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son 
cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."  Sometimes  a  raoringf  cor- 
ruption,  or  a  strong  habit  wars  upon  us,  and  then  we 
conquer  by  the  might  of  the  sanctifying  Spirit  of  God, 
who  is  with  us  and  shall  be  in  us  evermore.  Or  else 
it  is  the  world  which  tempts,  and  our  feet  have  almost 
gone  ;  but  we  overcome  the  world  through  the  victory 
of  faith  :  and  if  Satan  raises  against  us  the  lust  of  the 
flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life,  all  at 
once,  we  are  still  delivered,  for  the  Lord  is  a  wall  of 
fire  round  about  us.  The  inward  life  bravely  resists 
all  sin,  and  God's  help  is  given  to  believers  to  pre- 
serve them  from  all  evil  in  the  moment  of  urgent 
need  ;  even  as  he  helped  his  martyrs  and  confessors 
to  speak  the  right  word  when  called  unprepared  to 
confront  their  adversaries.  Care  not,  therefore,  oh 
thou  truster  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  how  fierce  thine  enemy 
may  be  this  day  !  As  young  David  slew  the  lion  and 
the  bear,  and  smote  the  Philistine  too,  even  so  shalt 


HANDS   FULL  OF   HONEY.  205 

thou  go  from  victory  to  victory.  "  Many  are  the  afflic- 
tions of  the  righteous,  but  the  Lord  deHvereth  him 
out  of  them  all."  Wherefore,  with  a  lion-Hke  spirit, 
meet  lions  which  seek  to  devour  you. 

II.  Now,  then,  we  come  to  our  second  head,  which 
is  :  THE  believer's  life  has  its  sweets.  We  are  not 
always  killing  lions,  we  are  sometimes  eating  honey. 
Certain  of  us  do  both  at  a  time  ;  we  kill  lions  and  yet 
cease  not  to  eat  honey :  and  truly  it  has  become  so 
sweet  a  thing  to  enter  into  conflict  for  Christ's  sake, 
that  it  is  a  joy  to  contend  earnestly  for  the  faith  once 
delivered  to  the  saints.  The  same  Lord  who  hath 
bidden  us  "quit  yourselves  like  men  ;  be  strong,"  has 
also  said,  "  Rejoice  in  the  Lord  alway ;  and  again  I 
say,  rejoice." 

The  believer's  life  has  its  sweets,  and  these  are  of 
the  choicest :  for  what  is  sweeter  than  honey  ?  What 
is  more  joyful  than  the  joy  of  a  saint  ?  What  is  more 
happy  than  the  happiness  of  a  believer?  I  will  not 
condescend  to  make  a  comparison  between  our  joy 
and  the  mirth  of  fools ;  I  will  go  no  further  than  a 
contrast.  Their  mirth  is  as  the  crackling  of  thorns 
under  a  pot,  which  spit  fire,  and  make  a  noise  and  a 
flash,  but  there  is  no  heat,  and  they  are  soon  gone 
out:  nothing  comes  of  it,  the  pot  is  long  in  boil- ' 
ing.  But  the  Christian's  delight  is  like  a  steady  coal 
fire.  You  have  seen  the  grate  full  of  coals  all  burn- 
ing red,  and  the  whole  mass  of  coal  has  seemed  to 
be  one  great  glowing  ruby,  and  everybody  who  has 
come  into  the  room  out  of  the  cold  has  delighted  to 


206  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

warm  his  hands,  for  it  gives  out  a  steady  heat  and 
warms  the  body  even  to  its  marrow.  Such  are 
our  joys.  I  would  sooner  possess  the  joy  of  Christ 
five  minutes  than  I  would  revel  in  the  mirth  of  fools 
for  half  a  century.  There  is  more  bliss  in  the  tear  of 
repentance  than  in  the  laughter  of  gaiety ;  our  holy 
sorrows  are  sweeter  than  the  worldling's  joys.  But, 
oh,  when  our  joys  grow  full,  divinely  full,  then  are 
they  unspeakably  like  those  above,  and  heaven  begins 
below.  Did  you  never  cry  for  joy  ?  You  say,  per- 
haps, "  Not  since  I  was  a  child."  Nor  have  I ;  but  I 
have  always  remained  a  child  as  far  as  divine  joy  is  con- 
cerned. I  could  often  cry  for  joy  when  I  know  whom 
I  have  believed  and  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to 
keep  that  which  I  have  committed  to  him. 

Ours  is  a  joy  which  will  bear  thinking  over.  You 
can  dare  to  pry  into  the  bottom  of  it  and  test  its  foun- 
dation. It  is  a  joy  which  does  not  grow  stale  ;  you  may 
keep  it  in  your  mouth  by  the  year  together,  and  yet  it 
never  cloys;  you  may  return  to  it  again,  and  again, 
and  again,  and  find  it  still  as  fresh  as  ever.  And  the 
best  of  it  is  there  is  no  repentance  after  it.  You  are 
never  sorry  that  you  were  so  glad.  The  world's  gay 
folk  are  soon  sick  of  their  drink  ;  but  we  are  only 
sorry  that  we  were  not  gladder  still,  for  our  gladness 
sanctifies.  We  are  not  denied  any  degree  of  joy  to 
which  we  can  possibly  attain,  for  ours  is  a  healthy, 
health-giving  delight.  Christ  is  the  fulness  of  joy  to 
his  people,  and  we  are  bidden  to  enjoy  him  to  the  full. 


HANDS   FULL   OF   HONEY.  207 

Christians  have  their  sweets,  and  those  are  as  honey 
and  the  honeycomb,  the  best  of  the  best. 

Of  these  joys  there  is  ple7ity  ;  for  Samson  found,  as 
it  were,  a  living  spring  of  honey,  since  he  discovered 
a  swarm  of  bees.  So  abundant  was  the  honey  that  he 
could  take  huge  masses  of  the  comb  and  carry  it  in 
his  hands,  and  go  away  with  it,  bearing  it  to  others. 
In  the  love  of  Christ,  in  pardoned  sin,  in  acceptance  in 
the  Beloved,  in  resting  in  God,  in  perfectly  acquiesc- 
ing in  his  will,  in  the  hope  of  heaven,  there  is  such 
joy  that  none  can  measure  it.  We  have  such  a  living 
swarm  of  bees  to  make  honey  for  us  in  the  precious 
promises  of  God,  that  there  is  more  delight  in  store 
than  any  of  us  can  possibly  realize.  There  is  infinitely 
more  of  Christ  beyond  our  comprehension  than  we 
have  as  yet  been  able  to  comprehend.  How  blessed 
to  receive  of  his  fulness,  to  be  sweetened  with  his 
sweetness,  and  yet  to  know  that  infinite  goodness  still 
remains  !  Perhaps  some  of  you  have  enjoyed  so  much 
of  Christ  that  you  could  hardly  bear  any  more ;  but 
your  largest  enjoyments  are  only  as  tiny  shells  filled 
by  a  single  wave  of  the  sea,  while  all  the  boundless  ocean 
rolls  far  beyond  your  ken.  We  have  exceeding  great 
joy,  yea,  joy  to  spare.  Our  Master's  wedding  feast  is 
not  so  scantily  furnished  that  we  have  to  bring  in 
another  seat  for  an  extra  guest,  or  murmur  to  ourselves 
that  we  had  better  not  invite  at  random  lest  we  should 
be  incommoded  by  too  great  a  crowd.  Nay,  rather 
the  pillared  halls  of  mercy  in  which  the  King  doth 
make  his  feast  are  so  vast  that  it  will  be  our  lifelong 


208  SERMONS  AND   LECTURES. 

business  to  furnish  them  with  guests,  compelling  more 
and  more  to  come  in  that  his  house  may  be  filled,  and 
that  his  royal  festival  may  make  glad  ten  thousand 
times  ten  thousand  hearts. 

Dear  friends,  if  you  want  to  know  what  are  the 
elements  of  our  joy,  I  have  already  hinted  at  them, 
but  I  will  for  a  moment  enlarge  thereon.  Our 
joys  are  often  found  in  the  former  places  of  our  conflicts. 
We  gather  our  honey  out  of  the  lions  which  have  been 
slain  for  us  or  by  us. 

There  is,  first,  our  sin.  A  horrible  lion  that!  But 
it  is  a  dead  lion,  for  grace  has  much  more  abounded 
over  abounding  sin.  Oh,  brothers,  I  have  never  heard 
of  any  dainty  in  all  the  catalogue  of  human  joys  that 
could  match  a  sense  of  pardoned  sin.  Full  forgive- 
ness !  Free  forgiveness  !  Eternal  forgiveness  !  See, 
it  sparkles  like  dew  of  heaven.  To  know  that  God 
has  blotted  out  my  sin  is  knowledge  rich  with  unutter- 
able bliss.  My  soul  has  begun  to  hear  the  songs  of 
seraphim  when  it  has  heard  that  note,  "  I  have  blotted 
out  thy  sins  like  a  cloud,  and  as  a  thick  cloud  thine 
iniquities."     Here  is  choice  honey  for  you  ! 

The  next  dead  lion  is  conquered  desire.  When  a 
wish  has  arisen  in  the  heart  contrary  to  the  mind  of 
God,  and  you  have  said — "  Down  with  you  !  I  will  pray 
you  down.  You  used  to  master  me ;  I  fell  into  a 
habit  and  I  was  soon  overcome  by  you  ;  but  I  will  not 
again  yield  to  you.  By  God's  grace  I  will  conquer 
you ;  " — I  say,  when  at  last  you  have  obtained  the 
victory,  such  a  sweet  contentment  perfumes  your  heart 


HANDS   FULL  OF   HONEY.  209 

that  you  are  filled  with  joy  unspeakable  ;  and  you  are 
devoutly  grateful  to  have  been  helped  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  to  master  your  own  spirit.  Thus  you  have  again 
eaten  spiritual  honey. 

When  you  are  able  to  feel  in  your  own  soul  that 
you  have  overcome  a  strong  temptation,  the  fiercer  it 
was  and  the  more  terrible  it  was,  the  louder  has  been 
your  song  and  the  more  joyful  your  thanksgiving.  To 
go  back  to  Mr.  Bunyan  again  ;  when  Christian  had 
passed  through  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death 
during  the  night,  and  when  he  had  come  entirely  out 
of  it  and  the  sun  rose,  you  remember  he  looked  back. 
(A  pause.)  He  was  long  in  taking  that  look,  I  war- 
rant you.  What  thoughts  he  had  while  looking  back  ! 
He  could  just  discern  that  narrow  track  with  the 
quagmire  on  one  side  and  the  deep  ditch  on  the 
other;  and  he  could  see  the  shades  out  of  which  the 
hobgoblins  hooted  and  the  fiery  eyes  glanced  forth. 
He  looked  back  by  sunlight  and  thought  within  him- 
self, "Ah  me  !  What  goodness  has  been  with  me !  I 
have  gone  through  all  that,  and  yet  I  am  unharmed  1 " 
What  a  happy  survey  it  was  to  him  !  Ah,  the  joy  of 
having  passed  through  temptation  without  having 
defiled  one's  garments!  How  must  Shadrach,  Mesh- 
ach,  and  Abednego  have  felt  when  they  stepped  out 
of  the  fiery  furnace,  and  were  not  even  singed,  neither 
had  the  smell  of  fire  passed  upon  them.  Happy  men 
were  they  who  have  lived  in  the  centre  of  the  seven- 
times-heated  furnace  where  everything  else  was  con- 
sumed.    Here  again  is  "  a  piece  of  an  honeycomb.'' 

14 


210  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

We  find  honey  again  from  another  slain  lion ; 
namely,  our  troubles  after  we  have  been  enabled  to 
endure  them.  This  is  the  metal  of  which  our  joy- 
bells  are  cast.  Out  of  the  brass  of  our  trials  we  make 
the  trumpets  of  our  triumph.  He  is  not  the  happy 
man  who  has  seen  no  trouble  ;  but  "  blessed  is  he  that 
endureth  temptation,  for  when  he  is  tried  he  shall 
receive  a  crown  of  life  that  fadeth  not  away." 

Death,  too.  Oh,  the  honey  that  is  found  in  dead 
death.  Death  is  indeed  dead.  We  triumph  over 
him,  and  are  no  more  afraid  of  him  than  little  children 
are  of  a  dead  lion.  We  pluck  him  by  the  beard,  and 
say  to  him,  "  O  death,  where  is  thy  sting  ?  O  grave, 
where  is  thy  victory  ?  "  We  even  look  forward  to  the 
time  of  our  departure  with  delight,  when  we  shall 
leave  this  heavy  clay  and  on  spirit  wings  ascend  unto 
our  Father  and  our  God.  You  see  there  is  rich  store 
of  honey  for  God's  people  ;  and  we  do  not  hesitate  to 
eat  it.  Let  others  say  as  they  will,  we  are  a  happy 
people,  happy  in  Christ,  happy  in  the  Holy  Spirit, 
happy  in  God  our  Father.  So  that  believers  have 
their  sweets. 

III.  But  the  third  is  the  point  I  want  to  dwell 
upon  :  THE  believer's  life  leads  him  to  communicate 
OF  THESE  SWEETS.  As  soon  as  we  have  tasted  the 
honey  of  forgiven  sin  and  perceived  the  bliss  that 
God  has  laid  up  for  his  people  in  Christ  Jesus,  we  feel 
it  to  be  both  our  duty  and  our  privilege  to  communi- 
cate the  good  news  to  others.  Here  let  my  ideal 
statue  stand  in  our  midst ;  the  strong  man,  conqueror 


HANDS  FULL  OF   HONEY.  211 

of  the  Hon,  holding  forth  his  hands  full  of  honey  to 
his  parents.  We  are  to  be  modelled  according  to  this 
fashion. 

And,  first,  we  do  this  immediately.  The  moment  a 
man  is  converted,  if  he  would  lee  himself  alone,  his 
instincts  would  lead  him  to  tell  his  fellows.  I  know 
that  the  moment  I  came  out  of  that  little  chapel 
wherein  I  found  the  Saviour,  I  wanted  to  pour  out  my 
tale  of  joy.     I  could  have  cried  with  Cennick — 

"  Now  will  I  tell  to  sinners  round. 

What  a  dear  Saviour  I  have  found; 
I'll  point  to  thy  redeeming  blood. 
And  say,  •  Behold  the  way  to  God ! " 

I  longed  to  tell  how  happy  my  soul  was,  and  what 
a  deliverance  I  had  obtained  from  the  crushing  burden 
of  sin.  I  longed  to  see  all  others  come  and  trust  my 
Lord  and  live !  I  did  not  preach  a  sermon,  but  I  think 
I  could  have  told  out  all  the  gospel  at  that  first  hour. 
Did  not  you,  my  friend,  feel  much  the  same  ?  Did  not 
your  tongue  long  to  be  telling  of  what  the  Lord  had 
done  for  you?  Perhaps  you  are  one  of  those  proper 
and  retiring  people  who  are  greatly  gifted  at  holding 
their  tongues  ;  and  therefore  you  left  the  feet  of  Jesus 
in  silence, — silence  which  ang-els  wondered  at.  Is  that 
why  you  have  held  your  tongue  ever  since  ?  Perhaps 
if  you  had  begun  to  speak  then  you  would  have  con- 
tinued your  testimony  to  this  day.  I  repeat  my  asser- 
tion that  it  is  the  instinct  of  every  new-born  soul  to 
communicate  the  glad  tidings  which  grace  has  pro- 
claimed in  his  heart.     Just  as  Samson  had  no  sooner 


212  SERMONS   AND    LECTURES. 

tasted  of  the  honey  than  he  carried  a  portion  of  it  to 
his  father  and  mother,  so  do  we  hasten  to  invite  our 
neighbors  to  Christ.  My  dear  young  friend,  as  soon 
as  ever  you  know  the  joy  of  the  Lord,  open  your 
mouth  in  a  quiet,  humble  way,  and  never  allow  your- 
self to  be  numbered  with  the  deaf  and  dumb.  Let  no 
one  stop  you  from  unburdening  your  heart.  Do  not 
follow  the  bad  example  of  those  who  have  become 
dumb  dogs  because  of  their  cowardice  at  the  begin- 
ning. 

The  believer  will  do  X^^xs  first  to  those  who  are  nearest 
to  him,  Samson  took  the  honey  to  his  father  and 
mother  who  were  not  far  away.  With  each  of  us  the 
most  natural  action  would  be  to  tell  a  brother  or  a 
sister  or  a  fellow-workman,  or  a  bosom  friend.  It  will 
be  a  great  joy  to  see  them  eating  the  honey  which  is 
so  pleasant  to  our  own  palate.  It  is  most  natural  in  a 
parent  at  once  to  wish  to  tell  his  children  of  divine 
love — have  you  all  done  so?  You  pray  for  your  chil- 
dren, but  many  of  you  would  be  the  means  of  answer- 
ing your  own  prayers  if  you  would  talk  with  them  one 
by  one.  This  may  appear  difficult,  but  once  com- 
menced it  will  soon  grow  easy :  and,  indeed,  if  it  be 
difficult  we  should  aspire  to  do  it  for  that  very 
reason.  Should  we  not  do  many  a  difficult  thing  for 
him  who  overcame  all  difficulties  for  us  ?  At  the  least, 
do  not  deny  to  your  own  children  the  personal  testi- 
mony of  their  father  or  their  mother  to  the  surpassing 
power  of  grace  and  the  unutterable  sweetness  of 
divine  love.     Tell  it  to  those  who  are  nearest  to  you. 


HANDS   FULL   OF   HONEY.  213 

The  believer  will  do  this  as  best  he  can.  Samson,  you 
see,  brought  the  honey  to  his  father  and  mother  in  a 
rough  and  ready  style,  going  on  eating  it  as  he  brought 
it.  If  I  wished  to  give  honey  to  my  father  and  mother 
I  should  do  it  up  rather  daintily:  I  would  at  least  put 
it  in  as  respectable  a  dish  as  our  kitchen  could  afford  : 
but  there  were  no  plates  and  dishes  out  there  in  that 
Timnath  vineyard,  and  so  his  own  hands  were  the  only 
salvers  upon  which  Samson  could  present  the  delicacy, 
— "  he  took  thereof  in  his  hands,  and  came  to  his 
father  and  mother,  and  he  gave  them,  and  they  did 
eat."  Perhaps  you  think,  •'  If  I  am  to  speak  to  any 
person  upon  true  religion,  I  should  like  to  do  it  in 
poetry."  Better  do  it  in  prose,  for  perhaps  they  will 
take  more  notice  of  your  verse  than  of  your  subject. 
Give  them  the  honey  in  your  hands,  and  if  there  is  no 
dish  they  cannot  take  notice  of  the  dish.  "Ay,  but  I 
should  like  to  do  it  very  properly,"  says  one ;  '•  it  is  a 
very  important  matter ;  I  should  like  to  speak  most 
correctly."  But  my  judgment  is,  that,  as  you  will  not 
be  likely  to  attain  to  correct  speech  all  in  a  hurry,  and 
your  friends  may  die  while  you  are  learning  your 
grammar  and  your  rhetoric,  you  had  better  tell  them 
of  Jesus  according  to  your  present  ability.  Tell  them 
there  is  life  in  a  look  at  Jesus.  Tell  them  the  story 
simply,  as  one  child  talks  to  another.  Carry  the  honey 
in  your  hands,  though  it  drip  all  round:  no  hurt  will 
come  of  the  spilling  ;  there  are  always  little  ones  wait- 
ing for  such  drops.  If  you  were  to  make  the  gospel 
drip  about  everywhere,  and  sweeten  all  things,  it  would 


214  SERMONS    AND   LECTURES. 

be  no  waste,  but  a  blessed  gain  to  all  around.  There- 
fore, I  say  to  you,  tell  of  Jesus  Christ  as  best  you  can, 
and  never  cease  to  do  so  while  life  lasts. 

But  then  Samson  did  another  thing,  and  every  true 
believer  should  do  it  too :  he  did  not  merely  tell  his 
parents  about  the  honey,  but  he  took  them  some  of  it. 
I  do  not  read,  "And  he  told  his  father  and  mother  of 
the  honey,''  but  I  read,  "and  he  took  thereof  in  his 
hands."  Nothing  is  so  powerful  as  an  exhibition  of 
grace  itself  to  others.  Do  not  talk  about  it,  but  carry 
it  in  your  hands.  "  I  cannot  do  that,"  says  one.  Yes, 
you  can,  by  your  life,  your  temper,  your  spirit,  your 
whole  bearing.  If  your  hands  serve  God,  if  your 
heart  serves  God,  if  your  face  beams  with  joy  in  the 
service  of  God,  you  will  carry  grace  wherever  you  go. 
and  those  who  see  you  will  perceive  it.  You  will 
hardly  have  need  to  say,  "  Come  and  partake  of 
grace ;  "  for  the  grace  of  God  in  you  will  be  its  own 
invitation  and  attraction.  Let  our  lives  be  full  of 
Christ  and  we  shall  preach  Christ.  A  holy  life  is  the 
best  of  sermons.  Soul-winning  is  wrought  by  a  win- 
ning life  more  surely  than  by  winning  words. 

Take  note,  also,  that  Samson  did  this  with  great 
modesty.  We  have  plenty  of  people  about  nowadays 
who  could  not  kill  a  mouse  without  publishing  it  in  the 
Gospel  Gazette  ;  but  Samson  killed  a  lion  and  said 
nothing  about  it.  He  holds  the  honey  in  his  hand  for 
his  father  and  mother — he  shows  them  that ;  but  we 
are  specially  informed  that  he  told  not  his  father  or 
his  mother  that  he  had  taken  it  out  of  the  carcase  of 


HANDS   FULL   OF   HONEY.  215 

the  Hon.  The  Holy  Spirit  finds  modesty  so  rare  that 
he  takes  care  to  record  it.  In  telling  your  own  experi- 
ence be  wisely  cautious.  Say  much  of  what  the  Lord 
has  done  for  you,  but  say  little  of  what  you  have  done 
for  the  Lord.  You  need  not  make  much  effort  to  be 
brief  on  that  point,  for  I  am  afraid  that  there  is  not 
much  of  it,  if  all  were  told.  Do  not  utter  a  self- 
glorifying  sentence.  Let  us  put  Christ  to  the  front, 
and  the  joy  and  blessedness  that  comes  of  faith  in 
him  ;  and  as  for  ourselves,  we  need  not  speak  a  word 
except  to  lament  our  sins  and  shortcomings. 

The  sum  of  what  I  have  to  say  is  this, — if  we  have 
tasted  any  joy  in  Christ,  if  we  have  known  any  conso- 
lation of  the  Spirit,  if  faith  has  been  to  us  a  real 
power,  and  if  it  has  wrought  in  us  peace  and  rest,  let 
us  communicate  this  blessed  discovery  to  other*-.  If 
you  do  not  do  so,  mark  you,  you  will  have  missed  the 
very  object  for  which  God  has  blessed  you.  I  heard 
the  other  day  of  a  Sunday-school  address  in  America 
which  pleased  me  much.  The  teacher,  speaking  to  the 
boys,  said,  "  Boys,  here's  a  watch,  what  is  it  for?  "  The 
children  answered,  "  To  tell  the  time."  "  Well,"  he  said, 
"  suppose  my  watch  does  not  tell  the  time,  what  is  it 
good  for?''  "Good-for-nothing,  sir."  Then  he  took 
out  a  pencil.  ''What  is  this  pencil  for?"  "It  is  to 
write  with,  sir."  "  Suppose  this  pencil  won't  make  a 
mark,  what  is  it  good  for  ?  "  "  Good-for-nothing,  sir." 
Then  he  took  out  his  pocket-knife.  "  Boys,  what  is  this 
for  ?  "  They  were  American  boys  and  so  they  shouted, 
— "To  whittle  with," — that  is,  to  experiment  on  any 


216  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

substance  that  came  in  their  way  by  cutting  a  notch 
in  it.  "But,"  said  he,  "suppose  it  will  not  cut,  what 
is  the  knife  good  for?"  "Good-for-nothing,  sir." 
Then  the  teacher  asked,  "What  is  the  chief  end  of 
man  ?  "  and  they  replied,  "  To  glorify  God."  "  But 
suppose  a  man  does  not  glorify  God,  what  is  he  good 
for?"  "Good-for-nothing,  sir."  That  brings  out  my 
point  most  clearly ;  there  are  many  professors  of 
whom  /  will  not  say  that  they  are  good-for-nothing, 
but  methinks  if  they  do  not  soon  stir  themselves  up  to 
glorify  God  by  proclaiming  the  sweetness  of  God's 
love  it  will  go  hard  with  them.  Remember  how  Jesus 
said  of  the  savourless  salt,  "henceforth  it  is  good  for 
nothing."  What  were  you  converted  for  ?  What 
were  you  forgiven  for?  What  were  you  renewed  for? 
Wha  have  you  been  preserved  on  earth  for  but  to  tell 
to  others  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  and  so  to  glorify 
God  ?  Do,  then,  go  out  with  your  hands  full  of  the 
honey  of  divine  love  and  hold  it  out  to  others. 

You  must  assuredly  do  good  by  this ;  you  cannot 
possibly  do  harm.  Samson  did  not  invite  his  father 
and  mother  to  see  the  lion  when  he  was  alive  and 
roaring, — he  might  have  done  some  hurt  in  that  case 
by  frightening  them,  or  exposing  them  to  injury;  but 
he  settled  the  lion  business  himself,  and  when  it  came 
to  honey  he  knew  that  even  his  mother  could  not  be 
troubled  about  that ;  therefore  he  invited  them  both  to 
share  his  gains.  When  you  get  into  a  soul-conflict,  do 
not  publish  your  distress  to  all  your  friends,  but  fight 
manfully  in  God's  name ;  but  when  you  possess  the 


HANDS   FULL  OF   HONEY.  217 

joy  of  Christ  and  the  love  of  the  Spirit,  and  grace  is 
abundant  in  your  soul,  then  tell  the  news  to  all  around. 
You  cannot  do  any  hurt  by  such  a  proceeding:  grace 
does  good,  and  no  harm,  all  its  days.  Even  if  you 
blunder  over  it  you  will  do  no  mischief.  The  gospel 
spilled  on  the  ground  is  not  lost.  Good,  and  only 
good,  must  come  of  making  known  salvation  by  Jesus 
Christ. 

It  will  be  much  better  for  you  to  tell  of  the  sweets 
of  orodliness  than  it  will  be  to  make  riddles  about  the 
doctrine  of  it.  Samson  afterwards  made  a  riddle 
about  his  lion  and  the  honey ;  and  that  riddle  ended 
in  fighting  and  bloodshed.  We  have  known  certain 
Christians  spend  their  lives  in  making  riddles  about 
the  honey  and  the  lion,  by  asking  tough  doctrinal 
questions  which  even  angels  cannot  answer:  "Riddle 
me  this,"  they  say,  and  then  it  has  ended  in  a  fight, 
and  brotherly  love  has  been  murdered  in  the  fray.  It 
is  much  better  to  bring  your  hands  full  of  honey  to 
those  who  are  needy,  and  present  it  to  them  that  they 
may  eat  of  it,  than  it  is  to  cavil  and  discuss.  No 
hurt  can  come  of  tellino-  what  the  Lord  has  done  for 
your  soul,  and  it  will  keep  you  out  of  mischief.  There- 
fore, I  would  stir  up  all  Christian  people  to  continue 
from  day  to  day  exhibiting  to  needy  sinners  the 
blessedness  of  Christ,  that  unbelievers  may  come  and 
eat  thereof. 

By  doing  this  you  will  be  blessing  men  far  more 
than  Samson  could  bless  his  parents,  for  our  honey  is 
honey  unto  eternity,  our  sweets  are  sweets  that  last  to 


218  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

heaven,  and  are  best  enjoyed  there.  Call  upon  others 
to  taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good,  and  you  shall 
have  therein  much  joy.  You  shall  increase  your  own 
pleasure  by  seeing  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  prosper- 
ing in  your  hand.  What  bliss  awaits  useful  Christians 
when  they  enter  into  heaven,  for  they  shall  be  met 
there  by  many  who  have  gone  before  them  whom  they 
were  the  means  of  turninof  to  Christ.  I  do  often  in- 
wardly  sing  when  I  perceive  that  I  can  scarce  go  into 
any  town  or  village  but  what  somebody  hunts  me  up 
to  say  to  me,  "  Under  God  I  owe  my  salvation  to  your 
sermons  or  to  your  books."  What  will  be  the  felici- 
ties of  heaven  when  we  shall  meet  those  who  were 
turned  to  righteousness  by  our  holding  forth  the  word 
of  life !  Our  heaven  will  be  seven  heavens  as  we  see 
them  there.  If  you  have  done  nothing  but  exhibit  in 
your  lives  the  precious  results  of  grace  you  will  have 
done  well.  If  you  have  presented  to  your  companions 
truths  that  were  sweetness  itself  to  you,  and  tried  to 
say  in  broken  accents,  "  Oh  that  you  knew  this  peace  !  " 
it  shall  give  you  joy  unspeakable  to  meet  those  in 
glory  who  were  attracted  to  Christ  by  such  a  simple 
means. 

God  make  you  all   to  be  his  witnesses  in  all  the 
circles  wherein  you  ir'^ve. 


GLORY.  219 


GLORY! 

Who  hath  called  us  unto  his  eternal  glory." — I  Peter  v.  to. 

A  FORTNIGHT  ago,  whcn  I  was  only  able  to  creep  to 
the  front  of  this  platform,  I  spoke  to  you  concerning 
the  future  of  our  mortal  bodies.  "We  know  that  if 
our  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  were  dissolved, 
we  have  a  buildine  of  God,  a  house  not  made  with 
hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  On  the  next  Sabbath 
day  we  went  a  step  further,  and  we  did  not  preach  so 
much  about  the  resurrection  of  the  body  as  upon  the 
hope  of  glory  for  our  entire  nature,  our  text  being, 
"  Christ  in  you,  the  hope  of  glory."  Thus  we  have 
passed  through  the  outer  court,  and  have  trodden  the 
hallowed  floor  of  the  Holy  Place,  and  now  we  are  the 
more  prepared  to  enter  within  the  veil,  and  to  gaze 
a  while  upon  the  glory  which  awaits  us.  We  shall  say 
a  little — and  oh,  how  little  it  will  be — upon  that  glory 
of  which  we  have  so  sure  a  prospect,  that  glory  which 
is  prepared  for  us  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  of  which  he  is 
the  hope !  I  pray  that  our  eyes  may  be  strengthened 
that  we  may  see  the  heavenly  light,  and  that  our  ears 
may  be  opened  to  hear  sweet  voices  from  the  better 
land.  As  for  me,  I  cannot  say  that  I  will  speak  of  the 
glory,  but  I  will  try  to  stammer  about  it ;  for  the  best 
lancruaee  to  which  a  man  can  reach  concerninor  alorv 
must  be  a  mere  stammerinof.  Paul  did  but  see  a  lit 
of  it  for  a  short  time,  and  he  confessed  that  he  heard 
things  that  it  was  not  lawful  for  a  man  to  utter ;  and  I 
doubt  not  that  he  felt  utterly  nonplussed  as  to  describ- 


220  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

inor  what  he  had  seen,  Thouorh  a  grreat  master  of 
language,  yet  for  once  he  was  overpowered ;  the 
grandeur  of  his  theme  made  him  silent.  As  for  us, 
what  can  we  do,  where  even  Paul  breaks  down  ? 
Pray,  dear  friends,  that  the  spirit  of  glory  may  rest 
upon  you,  that  he  may  open  your  eyes  to  see  as  much 
as  can  at  present  be  seen  of  the  heritage  of  the  saints. 
We  are  told  that  "  eye  hath  not  seen,  neither  hath  ear 
heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the 
things  which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love 
him."  Yet  the  eye  has  seen  wonderful  things.  There 
are  sunrises  and  sunsets,  Alpine  glories  and  ocean 
marvels  which,  once  seen,  cling  to  our  memories 
throughout  life  ;  yet  even  when  nature  is  at  her  best 
she  cannot  give  us  an  idea  of  the  supernatural  glory 
which  God  has  prepared  for  his  people.  The  ear  has 
heard  sweet  harmonies.  Have  we  not  enjoyed  music 
which  has  thrilled  us?  Have  we  not  listened  to 
speech  which  has  seemed  to  make  our  hearts  dance 
within  us  ?  And  yet  no  melody  of  harp  nor  charm  of 
oratory  can  ever  raise  us  to  a  conception  of  the  glory 
which  God  hath  laid  up  for  them  that  love  him.  As 
for  the  heart  of  man,  what  strange  things  have  entered 
it !  Men  have  exhibited  fair  fictions,  woven  in  the 
loom  of  fancy,  which  have  made  the  eyes  to  sparkle 
with  their  beauty  and  brightness  ;  imagination  has  re- 
velled and  rioted  in  its  own  fantastic  creations,  roam-, 
ing  among  islands  of  silver  and  mountains  of  gold,  or 
swimming  in  seas  of  wine  and  rivers  of  milk ;  but 
imagination  has  never  been  able  to  open  the  gate  of 


GLORT.  221 

pearl  which  shuts  in  the  city  of  our  God.  No,  it  hath 
not  yet  entered  the  heart  of  man.  Yet  the  text  goes 
on  to  say,  "  but  he  hath  revealed  it  unto  us  by  his 
Spirit."  So  that  heaven  is  not  an  utterly  unknown 
reofion,  not  altogether  an  inner  briorhtness  shut  in  with 
walls  of  impenetrable  darkness.  God  hath  revealed 
joys  which  he  has  prepared  for  his  beloved  ;  but  mark 
you,  even  though  they  be  revealed  of  the  Spirit,  yet  it 
is  no  common  unveiling,  and  the  reason  that  it  is 
made  known  at  all  is  ascribed  to  the  fact  that  "  the 
Spirit  searcheth  all  things,  yea,  the  deep  things  of  God." 
So  we  see  that  the  glory  which  awaits  the  saints  is 
ranked  among  the  deep  things  of  God,  and  he  that 
,  would  speak  thereof  after  the  manner  of  the  oracles 
of  God  must  have  much  heavenly  teaching.  It  is 
easy  to  chatter  according  to  human  fancy,  but  if  we 
would  follow  the  sure  teachino-  of  the  word  of  God 
we  shall  have  need  to  be  taught  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
without  whose  anointing  the  deep  things  of  God  must 
be  hidden  from  us.  Pray  that  we  may  be  under  that 
teaching  while  we  dwell  upon  this  theme. 

There  are  three  questions  which  we  will  answer 
this  morning.  The  first  is,  what  is  the  destiny  of  the 
saints? — "  Eternal  glory,"  says  the  text.  Secondly, 
wherein  doth  this  glory  consist?  I  said  we  would  an- 
swer the  questions,  but  this  is  not  to  be  answered  this 
side  the  pearl-gate.  Thirdly,  what  should  be  the  hiflu- 
ence  of  this  prospect  upon  our  hearts?  What  manner 
of  people  ought  we  to  be  whose  destiny  is  eternal 


222  SERMONS   AXD   LECTURES. 

glor>'  ?  How  should  we  live  who  are  to  live  forever 
in  the  glory  of  the  Most  High  ? 

I.      First,  WHAT  THEN  IS  THE  DESTINY  OF  THE  SAINTS? 

Our  text  tells  us  that  God  has  "  called  us  unto  his  eter- 
nal glory!'  "  Glory!  "  does  not  the  ver}^  word  astound 
you?  "Glor}'!"  surely  that  belongs  to  God  alone! 
Yet  the  scripture  says  "glory,"  and  glory  it  must 
mean,  for  it  never  exaggerates.  Think  of  glor)'  for  us 
who  have  deserved  eternal  shame  !  Glor}'  for  us  poor 
creatures  who  are  often  ashamed  of  ourselves  !  Yes, 
I  look  at  my  book  again,  an  dit  actually  says  "glor)'" 
— nothing  less  than  glory.     Therefore  so  must  it  be. 

Now,  since  this  seems  so  amazingr  and  astonishinof 
a  thing,  I  would  so  speak  with  you  that  not  a  relic  of 
incredulit)'  may  remain  in  your  hearts  concerning  it.  I 
would  ask  you  to  follow  me  while  we  look  through  the 
Bible,  not  quoting  every  passage  which  speaks  of 
glory,  but  mentioning  a  few  of  the  leading  ones. 

This  glory  has  been  pro77iised.  What  said  David  ?  In 
the  sevent\'-third  Psalm  and  twenty-fourth  verse  we 
meet  with  these  remarkable  words :  "  Thou  shalt  guide 
me  with  thy  counsel,  and  afterAvard  receive  me  to 
glory."  In  the  original  Hebrew  there  is  a  trace  of 
David's  recollection  of  Enoch's  being  translated  ;  and, 
though  the  royal  Psalmist  did  not  expect  to  be  caught 
away  without  dying,  yet  he  did  expect  that  after  he 
had  followed  the  gnidance  of  the  Lord  here  below  the 
great  Father  would  stoop  and  raise  up  his  child  to  be 
with  himself  forever.  He  expected  to  be  received 
into  glory.     Even  in  those  dim  days,  when  as  yet  the 


GLORY.  223 

light  ot  the  gospel  was  but  in  its  dawn,  this  prophet 
and  king  was  able  to  say,  "  Thou  shalt  afterward  re- 
ceive me  to  glory."  Did  he  not  mean  the  same  thing 
when  in  the  eighty-fourth  Psalm,  verse  eleven,  he 
said,  "  The  Lord  will  give  grace  and  glory :  no  good 
thing  will  he  withhold  from  them  that  walk  uprighdy  ?  " 
Not  only  no  good  thing  under  the  name  of  grace  will 
God  withhold  from  the  upright,  but  no  good  thing  under 
the  head  of  glory.  No  good  of  heaven  shall  be  kept 
from  the  saints  ;  no  reserve  is  even  set  upon  the  throne 
of  the  great  King,  for  our  Lord  Jesus  has  graciously 
promised,  "To  him  that overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit 
with  me  in  my  throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame,  and 
am  set  down  with  my  Father  in  his  throne."  "No 
good  thing,"  not  even  amongst  the  infinitely  good 
things  of  heaven,  will  God  "  withhold  from  them  that 
walk  uprightly."  If  David  had  this  persuasion,  much 
more  may  we  walk  in  the  light  of  the  gospel.  Since 
our  Lord  Jesus  hath  suffered  and  entered  into  his  glory, 
and  we  know  that  we  shall  be  with  him  where  he  is, 
we  are  confident  that  our  rest  shall  be  elorious. 

Brethren,  it  is  to  this  glory  that  we  have  bee7i  called. 
The  people  of  God  having  been  predestinated,  have 
been  called  with  an  effectual  callinor — called  so  that 
they  have  obeyed  the  call,  and  have  run  after  him  who 
has  drawn  them.  Now,  our  text  says  that  he  has  "called 
us  unto  his  eternal  glory  by  Christ  Jesus."  We  are 
called  to  repentance,  we  are  called  to  faith,  we  are 
called  to  holiness,  we  are  called  to  perseverance,  and 
all  this  that  we  may  afterwards  attain  unto  glory.    We 


224  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

have  another  scripture  of  like  import  in  i  Thessa- 
lonians  ii.  12: — "Who  hath  called  you  unto  his  king- 
dom and  glory."  We  are  called  unto  his  kingdom 
according  to  our  Lord's  word,  "  Fear  not,  little  flock ; 
for  it  is  your  Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  you  the 
kingdom."  We  are  called  to  be  kinoes,  called  to  wear 
a  crown  of  life  that  fadeth  not  away,  called  to  reign 
with  Christ  in  his  glory.  If  the  Lord  had  not  meant 
us  to  have  the  glory  he  would  not  have  called  us  unto 
it,  for  his  calling  is  no  mockery.  He  would  not  by 
his  Spirit  have  fetched  us  out  from  the  world  and  sep- 
arated us  unto  himself  if  he  had  not  intended  to  keep 
us  from  falling  and  preserve  us  eternally.  Believer, 
you  are  called  to  glory ;  do  not  question  the  certainty 
of  that  to  which  God  has  called  you. 

And  we  are  not  only  called  to  it,  brethren,  but  glory 
is  especially  joined  with  justification.  Let  me  quote 
Romans  viii.  30: — "Moreover  whom  he  did  predesti- 
nate, them  he  also  called :  and  whom  he  called,  them 
he  also  justified  :  and  whom  he  justified,  them  he  also 
glorified."  These  various  mercies  are  threaded  to- 
gether like  pearls  upon  a  string :  there  is  no  breaking 
the  thread,  no  separating  the  precious  things.  They 
are  put  in  their  order  by  God  himself,  and  they  are 
kept  there  by  his  eternal  and  irreversible  decree.  If 
you  are  justified  by  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  you 
shall  be  glorified  through  Christ  Jesus,  for  thus  hath 
God  purposed,  and  so  must  it  be.  Do  you  not  remem- 
ber how  salvation  itself  is  linked  with  glory?  Paul, 
in  2  Timothy  ii.   10,  speaks  of  "the  salvation  which 


GLORY.  225 

is  in  Christ  Jesus  with  eternal  glory."   The  two  things 
are  riveted  together,  and  cannot  be  separated. 

The  saved  ones  must  partake  of  the  glory  of  God,  for 
for  this  are  they  bemg  pj^epared  every  day.  Paul,  in  the 
ninth  of  Romans,  where  he  speaks  about  the  predesti- 
nating will  of  God,  says  in  the.  twenty-third  verse :  "  The 
vessels  of  mercy,  which  he  had  afore  prepared  unto 
glory."  This  is  the  process  which  commenced  in 
regeneration,  and  is  going  on  in  us  every  day  in  the 
work  of  sanctification.  We  cannot  be  glorified  so  long 
as  sin  remains  in  us;  we  must  first  be  pardoned,  re- 
newed, and  sanctified,  and  then  we  are  fitted  to  be 
glorified.  By  communion  with  our  Lord  Jesus  we  are 
made  like  to  him,  a^  saith  the  apostle  in  2  Corinthians 
iii.  18: — "But  we  all,  with  open  face  beholding  as  in 
a  glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  are  changed  into  the 
same  image  from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord."  It  is  very  wonderful  how  by  the  wisdom 
of  God  everything  is  made  to  work  this  way.  Look 
at  the  blessed  text  in  2  Corinthians  iv.  17,  where  Paul 
says,  "For  our  light  affliction,  which  is  but  for  a  mo- 
ment, worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eter- 
nal weight  of  glory ;  "  where  he  represents  that  all 
that  we  can  suffer,  whether  of  body  or  of  mind,  is  pro- 
ducing for  us  such  a  mass  of  glory  that  he  is  quite  unable 
to  describe  it,  and  he  uses  hyperbolical  language  in 
saying,  "a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of 
glory."  Oh,  blessed  men,  whose  very  losses  are  their 
gains,  whose  sorrows  produce  their  joys,  whose  griefs 
are  big  with  heaven  !    Well  may  we  be  content  to  suf- 

15 


226 


SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 


fer  if  so  it  be  that  all  things  are  working  together  for 
our  good  and  are  helping  to  pile  up  the  excess  of  our 
future  glory. 

Thus,  then,  it  seems  we  are  called  to  glory,  and  we 
are  being  prepared  for  it ;  is  it  not  also  a  sweet 
thought  \\\2X  our  present  fellowship  with  Christ  is  the 
guarantee  of  it?  In  Romans  viii.  17  it  is  said,  "If  so 
be  that  we  suffer  with  him,  that  we  may  be  also  glori- 
fied together."  Going  to  prison  with  Christ  will 
bring  us  into  the  palace  with  Christ ;  smarting  with 
Christ  will  bring  us  into  reigning  with  Christ ;  being 
ridiculed,  and  slandered,  and  despised  for  Christ's 
sake  will  bring  us  to  be  sharers  of  his  honor,  and 
glory,  and  immortality.  Who  would  not  be  with 
Christ  in  his  humiliation  if  this  be  the  guarantee  that 
we  shall  be  with  him  in  his  glory  ?  Remember  those 
dear  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  "  Ye  are  they  which 
have  continued  with  me  in  my  temptations.  And  I 
appoint  unto  you  a  kingdom,  as  my  Father  hath  ap- 
pointed unto  me."  Let  us  shoulder  the  cross,  for  it 
leads  to  the  crown.  "  No  cross,  no  crown :  "  but  he 
that  has  shared  the  battle  shall  partake  in  the  victory. 

I  have  not  yet  done,  for  there  is  a  text,  in  Hebrews 
ii.  10,  which  is  well  worthy  of  our  consideration:  we 
are  to  be  brought  to  glory.  It  is  said  of  our  Lord  that 
it  "  became  him,  for  whom  are  all  things,  in  bringing 
many  sons  unto  glory,  to  make  the  captain  of  their 
salvation  perfect  through  sufferings."  See,  beloved, 
we  are  called  to  glory,  we  are  being  prepared  for  it, 
and  we  shall  be  brought  to  it.     We  might  despair  of 


GLORY.  227 

ever  gettlngr  into  the  glory  land  if  we  had  not  One  to 
bring  us  there,  for  the  pilgrim's  road  is  rough  and  be- 
set with  many  foes  ;  but  there  is  a  "  Captain  of  our 
salvation,"  a  greater  than  Bunyan's  Greatheart,  who 
is  conducting  the  pilgrim  band  through  all  the  treach- 
erous way,  and  he  will  bring  the  "  many  sons " — 
where  ? — "  unto  glory^'  nowhere  short  of  that  shall  be 
\\\€\r  ultimatum.  Glory,  glory  shall  surely  follow  upon 
grace ;  for  Christ  the  Lord,  who  has  come  into  his 
glory,  has  entered  into  covenant  engagements  that  he 
will  bring  all  the  "  many  sons  "  to  be  with  him. 

Mark  this,  and  then  I  will  quote  no  more  Scriptures : 
this  glory  will  be  for  our  entire  manhood,  for  our  body 
as  well  as  for  our  soul.  You  know  that  text  in  the 
famous  resurrection  chapter;  in  i  Cor.  xv.  43  Paul 
speaks  of  the  body  as  being  "  sown  in  dishonor,"  but 
he  adds,  "  it  is  raised  in  glory ;  "  and  then,  in  Philip- 
plans  iii.  21,  he  says  of  our  divine  Lord  at  his  coming, 
"Who  shall  change  our  vile  body,  that  it  may  be 
fashioned  like  unto  his  glorious  body,  according  to  the 
working  whereby  he  is  able  even  to  subdue  all  things 
unto  himself"  What  a  wonderful  chano^e  that  will  be 
for  this  frail,  feeble,  suffering  body !  In  some  respects 
it  is  not  vile,  for  it  is  a  wonderful  product  of  divine 
skill,  and  power,  and  goodness  ;  but  inasmuch  as  it 
hampers  our  spiritual  nature  by  its  appetites  and  in- 
firmities, it  may  be  called  a  "  vile  body."  It  is  an  un- 
handy body  for  a  spirit:  it  fits  a  soul  well  enough,  but 
a  spirit  wants  something  more  ethereal,  less  earth- 
bound,  more  full  of  life  than  this  poor  flesh  and  blood 


228  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

and  bone  can  ever  be.  Well,  the  body  is  to  be 
changed.  What  alteration  will  it  undergo  ?  It  will 
be  rendered  perfect.  The  body  of  a  child  will  be 
fully  developed,  and  the  dwarf  will  attain  to  full  stat- 
ure. The  blind  shall  not  be  sightless  in  heaven, 
neither  shall  the  lame  be  halt,  nor  shall  the  palsied 
tremble.  The  deaf  shall  hear,  and  the  dumb  shall 
sing  God's  praises.  We  shall  carry  none  of  our  de- 
ficiencies or  infirmities  to  heaven.  As  good  Mr. 
Ready-to-Halt  did  not  carry  his  crutches  there,  neither 
shall  any  of  us  need  a  staff  to  lean  upon.  There  we 
shall  not  know  an  aching  brow,  or  a  weak  knee,  or  a 
failing  eye.  "  The  inhabitant  shall  no  more  say,  I  am 
sick." 

And  it  shall  be  an  impassive  body,  a  body  that  will 
be  incapable  of  any  kind  of  suffering :  no  palpitating 
heart,  no  sinking  spirit,  no  aching  limbs,  no  lethargic 
soul  shall  worry  us  there.  No,  we  shall  be  perfecdy 
delivered  from  every  evil  of  that  kind.  Moreover,  it 
shall  be  an  immortal  body.  Our  risen  bodies  shall 
not  be  capable  of  decay,  much  less  of  death.  There 
are  no  graves  in  glory.  Blessed  are  the  dead  that  die 
in  the  Lord,  for  their  bodies  shall  rise  never  to  know 
death  and  corruption  a  second  time.  No  smell  or 
taint  of  corruption  shall  remain  upon  those  whom 
Jesus  shall  call  from  the  tomb.  The  risen  body  shall 
be  greatly  increased  in  power:  it  is  "sown  in  weak- 
ness," says  the  Scripture,  but  it  is  "raised  in  power." 
I  suppose  there  will  be  a  wonderful  agility  about  our 
renovated  frame :  probably  it  will  be  able  to  move  as 


GLORY.  22^ 


swiftly  as  the  lightning  flash,  for  so  do  angels  pass 
from  place  to  place,  and  we  shall  in  this,  as  in  many 
things  else,  be  as  the  angels  of  God.  Anyhow,  it  will 
be  a"*"  glorious  body,"  and  it  will  be  "  raised  in  glory," 
so  that  the  whole  of  our  manhood  shall  participate  of 
that  wonderful  depth  of  bliss  which  is  summed  up  in 
the  word—"  glory."  Thus  I  think  I  have  set  before 
you  much  of  what  the  word  of  God  saith  upon  this 
matter. 

II.  Secondly,  may  the  Holy  Spirit  help  me  while  I 
try  very  hesitatingly  and  stammeringly  to  answer  the 
inquiry,  Wherein  doth  this  destiny  consist  ? 

Do  you  know  how  much  I  expect  to  do  ?     It  will  be 

but   litde.     You    remember  what   the    Lord   did  for 

Moses  when    the    man   of  God    prayed—"  I  beseech 

thee  show  me  thy  glory !"     All  that  the  Lord  himself 

did  for  Moses  was  to  say,  "  Thou  shalt  see  my  back 

parts ;  but  my  face  shall  not  be  seen."     How  litde, 

then,  can  we  hope  to  speak  of  this  glory !     Its  back 

parts  are   too   bright  for  us :  as  for  the  face  of  that 

crlory,  it  shall  not  be  seen  by  any  of  us  here  below, 

though  by-and-by  we  shall  behold  it.     I  suppose  if  one 

who  had  been  in  glory  could  come  straight  down  from 

heaven,  and  occupy  this  platform,  he  would  find  that 

his  discoveries  could  not  be  communicated  because  of 

the  insufficiency  of  language  to  express  such  a  weight 

of  meaning. 

The  saints'  destiny  is  glory.  What  is  glory,  breth- 
ren ?  What  is  it,  I  mean,  among  the  sons  of  men  ? 
It  is  generally  understood  to  be  fame,  a  great  repute, 


230  SERMONS  AND  LECTURES. 

the  sound  of  trumpets,  the  noise  of  applause,  the 
sweets  of  approbation  among  the  crowd  and  in  high 
places.  The  Queen  of  Sheba  came  from  afar  to  see 
the  glory  of  Solomon.  What  was  that  glory,  breth- 
ren ?  It  was  the  glory  of  a  rare  wisdom  excelling  all 
others  ;  it  was  the  glory  of  immense  riches  expended 
upon  all  manner  of  magnificence  and  splendor.  As 
for  this  last  glory  the  Lord  says  of  it  that  a  lily  of  the 
field  had  more  of  it  than  Solomon  ;  at  least  "  Solomon 
in  all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these." 
Yet  that  is  what  men  mean  by  glory — rank,  position, 
power,  conquest — things  that  make  the  ears  of  men  to 
tingle  when  they  hear  of  them — things  extraordinary 
and  rare.  All  this  is  but  a  dim  shadow  of  what  God 
means  by  glory ;  yet  out  of  the  shadow  we  may  ob- 
tain'a  little  inkling  of  what  the  substance  must  be. 
God's  people  shall  be  wise,  and  even  famous,  for  they 
shall  "shine  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever."  God's 
people  shall  be  rich  ;  the  very  streets  of  their  abode 
are  paved  with  gold  exceeding  rich  and  rare.  God's 
people  shall  be  singularly  honored  ;  there  shall  be  a 
glory  about  them  unrivalled,  for  they  shall  be  known 
as  a  peculiar  people,  a  royal  priesthood,  a  race  of 
beings  lifted  up  to  reveal  their  Maker's  character  be- 
yond all  the  rest  of  his  works. 

I  reckon  that  glory  to  a  saint  means,  first  of  all, 
purified chai'acter.  The  brightest  glory  that  really  can 
come  to  any  one  is  the  glory  of  character.  Thus 
God's  glory  among  men  is  his  goodness,  his  mercy, 
his  justice,  his  truth.     But  shall  such  poor  creatures 


GLORY.  23i 

as  we  are  ever  have  perfect  characters?  Yes,  we 
shall  one  day  be  perfectly  holy.  God's  Holy  Spirit, 
when  he  has  finished  his  work,  will  leave  in  us  no 
trace  of  sin :  no  temptation  shall  be  able  to  touch  us, 
there  will  be  in  us  no  relics  of  our  past  and  fallen 
state.  Oh,  will  not  that  be  blessed  ?  I  was  going  to 
say  it  is  all  the  glory  I  want — the  glory  of  being  per- 
fect in  character,  never  sinning,  never  judging  unjusdy, 
never  thinking  a  vain  thought,  never  wandering  away 
from  the  perfect  law  of  God,  never  vexed  again  with 
sin  which  has  so  long  been  my  worst  enemy.  One 
day  we  shall  be  glorious  because  the  devil  himself 
will  not  be  able  to  detect  a  fault  in  us,  and  those  eyes 
of  God,  which  burn  like  fire  and  read  the  inmost  secrets 
of  the  soul,  will  not  be  able  to  detect  anything  blame- 
worthy in  us.  Such  shall  be  the  character  of  the  saints 
that  they  shall  be  meet  to  consort  with  Christ  himself, 
fit  company  for  that  thrice  Holy  Being  before  whom 
angels  veil  their  faces.     This  is  glory ! 

Next,  I  understand  by  "glory"  our  perfected  manhood. 
When  God  made  Adam  he  was  a  far  superior  being  to 
any  of  us.  Man's  place  in  creation  was  very  remark- 
able. The  Psalmist  says,  "  For  thou  hast  made  him  a 
little  lower  than  the  angels,  and  hast  crowned  him  with 
glory  and  honor.  Thou  madest  him  to  have  dominion 
over  the  works  of  thy  hands  ;  thou  hast  put  all  things 
under  his  feet :  all  sheep  and  oxen,  yea,  and  the  beasts 
of  the  field  ;  the  fowl  of  the  air,  and  the  fish  of  the 
sea,  and  whatsoever  passeth  through  the  paths  of  the 
seas."     No  king  among  men  in  these  days  could  rival 


232 


SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 


Adam  in  the  garden  of  Eden  :  he  was  indeed  monarch 
of  all  that  he  surveyed,  and  from  the  lordly  lion  down 
to  the  tiniest  insect  all  living  creatures  paid  him 
willing  homage.  Can  we  ever  rise  to  this  last  honor  ? 
Brethren,  listen,  "It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall 
be,  but  we  know  that  when  Christ  shall  appear  we  shall 
be  like  him,  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is."  Is  there 
any  limit  to  the  growth  of  the  mind  of  a  man?  Can 
we  tell  what  he  may  reach  ?  We  read  of  Solomon 
that  God  gave  him  largeness  of  heart  as  the  sand  of 
the  sea :  God  will  give  to  his  people  glory  that  will 
include  in  it  more  largeness  of  heart  than  Solomon 
ever  knew.  Then  shall  we  know  even  as  we  are 
known  by  God.  Now  we  see,  but  it  is  "  through  a 
glass  darkly,"  but  then  we  shall  see  "  face  to  face." 
You  have  met  with  men  of  great  intellect  and  you  have 
looked  up  to  them  :  but  assuredly  the  smallest  babe 
in  Christ  when  he  shall  reach  heaven  shall  have  a 
greater  intellect  than  the  most  profound  philosopher 
who  has  ever  astounded  mankind  by  his  discoveries. 
We  shall  not  always  be  as,  we  are  to-day,  contracted 
and  hampered  because  of  our  little  knowledge,  and 
our  slender  faculties,  and  our  dull  perceptions.  Our 
ignorance  and  prejudice  shall  vanish.  What  a  man 
will  become  we  can  scarcely  tell  when  he  is  remade  in 
the  image  of  God,  and  made  like  unto  our  divine 
Lord  who  is  "  the  first-born  among  many  brethren." 
Here  we  are  but  in  embryo:  our  minds  are  but  the 
seeds,  or  the  bulbs,  out  of  which  shall  come  the  flower 
and  glory  of  a  nobler  manhood.     Your  body  is  to  be 


GLORY. 


233 


developed  into  something  infinitely  brighter  and  better 
than  the  bodies  of  men  here  below :  and  as  for  the 
soul,  we  cannot  guess  to  what  an  elevation  it  shall  be 
raised  in  Christ  Jesus.  There  is  room  for  the  largest 
expectation  here,  as  we  conjecture  what  will  be  the  full 
accomplishment  of  the  vast  intent  of  eternal  love,  an 
intent  which  has  involved  the  sacrifice  of  the  only-be- 
gotten Son  of  God.  That  can  be  no  mean  design 
which  has  been  carried  on  at  the  expense  ot  the  best 
that  heaven  itself  possessed. 

Further,  by  "  glory  "  and  coming  to  glory  I  think  we 
must  understand  complete  victory.  Dwelling  in  the 
age  of  the  Romans,  men  said  to  themselves,  as  they 
read  the  Scriptures,  "What  does  the  apostle  mean  by 
'glory?'"  and  they  could  scarcely  help  connecting 
it  with  conquest,  and  the  return  of  the  warrior  in 
triumph.  Men  called  it  glory  in  those  days  when 
valiant  warriors  returned  from  fields  of  blood  with  cap- 
tives and  spoil.  Then  did  the  heroes  ride  through  the 
streets  of  Rome,  enjoying  a  triumph  voted  them  by 
the  senate.  Then  for  the  while  the  men  of  war  were 
covered  with  glory,  and  all  the  city  was  glorious  be- 
cause of  them.  As  Christians,  we  hate  the  word 
"glory  "  when  it  is  linked  with  wholesale  murder,  and 
girt  in  garments  rolled  in  blood  ;  but  yet  there  is  a 
kind  of  fighting  to  which  you  and  I  are  called,  for  we 
are  soldiers  of  the  cross;  and  if  we  fight  valiantly  under 
our  great  Captain,  and  rout  every  sin,  and  are  found 
faithful  even  unto  death,  then  we  shall  enter  glory,  and 
receive  the  honor  which  belongs  to  men  who  have 


234  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

fought  a  good  fight,  and  have  kept  the  faith.  It  will 
be  no  small  glory  to  obtain  the  crown  of  life  which 
fadeth  not  away.  Is  not  this  a  full  glory  if  we  only 
place  these  three  things  together,  a  purified  character, 
a  perfected  nature,  and  a  complete  victory? 

An  invaluable  ingredient  in  true  glory  is  the  divine 
approval.  "  Glory  "  among  men  means  approbation: 
it  is  a  man's  glory  when  he  is  honored  of  his  Queen, 
and  she  hangs  a  medal  on  his  breast,  or  when  his  name 
is  mentioned  in  the  high  court  of  Parliament,  and  he  is 
ennobled  for  what  he  has  done.  If  men  speak  of  our 
actions  with  approval,  it  is  called  fame  and  glory. 
Oh,  but  one  drop  of  the  approbation  of  God  has  more 
glory  in  it  than  a  sea  full  of  human  praise ;  and  the 
Lord  will  reward  his  own  with  this  holy  favor.  He 
will  say,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant," 
and  Christ  before  the  universe  will  say,  "Come,  ye 
blessed  of  my  Father."  Oh,  what  glory  that  will  be ! 
They  were  despised  and  rejected  of  men,  they  "wan- 
dered about  in  sheepskins  and  goatskins ;  destitute, 
afflicted,  tormented ;  "  but  now  God  approves  them, 
and  they  take  seats  among  the  peers  of  heaven,  made 
noble  by  the  approbation  of  the  Judge  of  all.  This 
is  glory  with  an  emphasis — substantial  glory.  One 
approving  glance  from  the  eye  of  Jesus,  one  accept- 
ing word  from  the  mouth  of  the  Father,  will  be  glory 
enough  for  any  one  of  us,  and  this  we  shall  have  if  we 
follow  the  Lamb  whithersoever  he  goeth. 

But  this  is  not  all :  children  of  God  will  have  the 
glory  of  rejiecting  the  glory  of  God.     When  any  of 


GLORY.  235 

God's  unfallen  creatures  shall  wish  to  see  the  orreat- 
ness  of  God's  goodness,  and  mercy,  and  love,  they 
that  dwell  in  heaven  will  point  out  a  glorified  saint. 
Whenever  any  spirit  from  far-off  regions  desires  to 
know  what  is  meant  by  faithfulness  and  grace,  some 
angel  will  reply,  "Go  and  talk  with  those  who  have 
been  redeemed  from  among  men."  I  believe  that  you 
and  I  will  spend  much  of  eternity  in  making  known 
to  principalities  and  powers  the  unsearchable  riches 
of  the  grace  of  God.  We  shall  be  mirrors  reflecting 
God  ;  and  in  us  shall  his  glory  be  revealed.  There 
may  be  myriads  of  races  of  pure  and  holy  beings  of 
whom  we  have  never  heard  as  yet,  and  these  may 
come  to  the  New  Jerusalem  as  to  the  great  metropolis 
of  Jehovah's  universe,  and  when  they  come  there  they 
will  gaze  upon  the  saints  as  the  highest  instances  of 
divine  grace,  wisdom,  power,  and  love.  It  will  be 
their  highest  pleasure  to  hear  how  eternal  mercy  dealt 
with  us  unworthy  ones.  How  we  shall  delight  to  re- 
hearse to  them  the  fact  of  the  Father's  eternal  purpose, 
the  story  of  the  incarnate  God  —the  God  that  loved 
and  died,  and  the  love  of  the  blessed  Spirit  who 
sought  us  in  the  days  of  our  sin,  and  brought  us  to 
the  cross  foot,  renewing  us  in  the  spirit  of  our  minds, 
and  making  us  to  be  sons  of  God.  Oh,  brothers  and 
sisters,  this  shall  be  our  glory,  that  God  shall  shine 
through  us  to  the  astonishment  of  all. 

Yet  I  think  glory  includes  somewhat  more  than  this. 
In  certain  cases  a  man's  glory  lies  in  his  relationships. 
If  any  of  the  royal  family  should  come  to  your  houses 


236  SERMONS  AND   LECTURES. 

you  would  receive  them  with  respect ;  yes,  and  even 
as  they  went  along  the  street  they  would  be  spied  out, 
and  passers-by  would  say,  "  That  is  the  prince  !  "  and 
they  would  honor  the  son  of  our  good  Queen.  But 
royal  descent  is  a  poor  business  compared  with  being 
allied  to  the  King  of  kings.  Many  angels  are  ex- 
ceeding bright,  but  they  are  only  servants  to  wait  upon 
the  sons.  1  believe  that  there  will  be  a  kind  of  awe 
upon  the  angels  at  the  sight  of  men  ;  when  they  see 
us  in  our  glory  they  will  rejoice  to  know  our  near  re- 
lation to  their  Lord;  and  to  fulfil  their  own  destiny  as 
ministering  spirits  appointed  to  minister  to  the  heirs 
of  salvation.  No  pride  will  be  possible  to  the  per- 
fected, but  we  shall  then  realize  the  exalted  position 
to  which  by  our  new  birth  and  the  divine  adoption  we 
have  been  raised.  "Behold  what  manner  of  love  the 
Father  hath  bestowed  upon  us  that  we  should  be 
called  the  sons  of  God."  Sons  of  God !  Sons  of 
the  Lord  God  Almighty !  Oh  what  glory  this  will  be! 
Then  there  will  be  connected  with  this  the  fact  that 
we  shall  be  connected  with  Jesus  in  everything.  For  do 
not  you  see,  brethren,  it  was  because  of  our  fall  that 
Christ  came  here  to  save  men  ;  when  he  wrought  out 
a  perfect  righteousness,  it  was  all  for  us  ;  when  he 
died,  it  was  all  for  us  ;  and  when  he  rose  again,  it  was 
all  for  us  ?  And  what  is  more,  we  lived  in  Christ,  we 
died  in  him,  we  were  buried  in  him  and  rose  in  him, 
and  we  shall  ascend  into  heaven  to  reign  with  him. 
All  our  glory  is  by  Christ  Jesus  and  in  all  the  glory  of 
Christ  Jesus  we  have  a  share.     We  are  members  of 


GLORY. 


237 


his  body ;  we  are  one  with  him.  I  say,  the  creatures 
that  God  has  made,  when  they  shall  come  to  worship 
in  the  New  Jerusalem  will  stand  and  gaze  at  glorified 
men,  and  with  bated  breath  will  say  one  to  another, 
"  These  are  the  beings  whose  nature  the  Son  of  God 
assumed  !  These  are  the  chosen  creatures  whom  the 
Prince  of  heaven  bought  with  his  own  blood."  They 
will  stand  astonished  at  the  divine  glory  which  will  be 
manifested  in  beings  emancipated  from  sin  and  hell 
and  made  heirs  of  God,  joint-heirs  with  Jesus  Christ. 
Will  not  even  angels  be  surprised  and  awed  as  they 
look  on  the  church  and  say  to  one  another,  "This  is 
the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife  !  "  They  will  marvel  how 
the  Lord  of  glory  should  come  to  this  poor  earth  to 
seek  a  spouse  and  that  he  should  enter  into  eternal 
union  with  such  a  people.  Glory,  glory  dwelleth  in 
Immanuel's  land !  Now  we  are  getting  near  to  the 
centre  of  it.  I  feel  inclined,  like  Moses,  to  put  off  my 
shoes  from  off  my  feet,  for  the  place  whereon  we 
stand  is  holy  ground,  now  that  we  are  getting  to  see 
poor  bushes  like  ourselves  aglow  with  the  indwelling 
God,  and  changed  from  glory  unto  glory. 

And  yet  this  is  not  all,  for  there  in  heaven  we  shall 
dwell  in  the  im7jtediate  presence  of  God.  We  shall 
dwell  with  him  in  nearest  and  dearest  fellowship ! 
All  the  felicity  of  the  Most  High  will  be  our  felicity. 
The  blessedness  of  the  triune  Jehovah  shall  be  our 
blessedness  for  ever  and  ever.  Did  you  notice  that 
our  text  says,  "He  hath  called  us  unto  his  glory?" 
This  outshines  everything:  the  glory  which  the  saints 


238  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES 

will  have  is  the  same  glory  which  God  possesses,  and 
such  as  he  alone  can  bestow.  Listen  to  this  text: — 
"Whom  he  justified,  them  he  also  glorified."  He 
glorifies  them,  then  !  I  know  what  it  is  to  glorify  God, 
and  so  do  you;  but  when  we  poor  creatures  glorify 
God  it  is  in  a  poor  way,  for  we  cannot  add  anything 
to  him.  But  what  must  it  be  for  God  himself  to 
glorify  a  man  !  The  glory  which  you  are  to  have  for 
ever,  my  dear  believing  brother,  is  a  glory  which  God 
himself  will  put  upon  you.  Peter,  as  a  Hebrew,  per- 
haps uses  a  Hebraism  when  he  says  "  his  glory  :  "  it 
may  be  that  he  means  the  best  of  glory  that  can  be, 
even  as  the  Jews  were  wont  to  say — "  The  trees  of 
God,"  when  they  meant  the  greatest  trees,  or  "  the 
mountains  of  God,"  when  they  intended  the  highest 
mountains ;  so  by  the  glory  of  God  Peter  may  mean 
the  richest,  fullest  glory  that  can  be.  In  the  original 
the  word  "glory"  has  about  it  the  idea  of  "weight," 
at  which  the  apostle  Paul  hints  when  he  speaks  of  a 
*'  weight  of  glory."  This  is  the  only  glory  that  has 
weight  in  it,  all  else  is  light  as  a  feather.  Take  all  die 
glories  of  this  world  and  they  are  outweighed  by  the 
small  dust  of  the  balance.  Place  them  here  in  the 
hollow  of  my  hand,  all  of  them :  a  child  may  blow 
them  away  as  thistledown.  God's  glory  has  weight ; 
it  is  solid,  true,  real,  and  he  that  gets  it  possesses  no 
mere  name,  or  dream,  or  tinsel,  but  he  has  that  which 
will  abide  the  rust  of  ages  and  the  fire  of  judgment. 
The  glory  of  God !  How  shall  I  describe  it  1  I 
must  set   before  you  a  strange   Scriptural   picture. 


GLORY.  i239 

Mordecai  must  be  made  glorious  for  his  fidelity  to  his 
king,  and  singular  is  the  honor  which  his  monarch  or- 
dains for  him.  This  was  the  royal  order.  "  Let  the 
royal  apparel  be  brought  which  the  king  useth  to 
wear,  and  the  horse  that  the  king  rideth  upon,  and  the 
crown  royal  which  is  set  upon  his  head :  and  let  this 
apparel  and  horse  be  delivered  to  the  hand  of  one  of 
the  king's  most  noble  princes,  that  they  may  array  the 
man  withal  whom  the  king  delighteth  to  honor,  and 
bring  him  on  horseback  through  the  street  of  the  city, 
and  proclaim  before  him,  Thus  shall  it  be  done  to  the 
man  whom  the  king  delighteth  to  honor."  Can  you 
not  imagine  the  surprise  of  the  Jew  when  robe  and 
ring  were  put  upon  him,  and  when  he  found  himself 
placed  upon  the  king's  horse.  This  may  serve  as  a 
figure  of  that  which  will  happen  to  us:  we  shall  be 
glorified  with  the  glory  of  God.  The  best  robe,  the 
best  of  heaven's  array,  shall  be  appointed  unto  us, 
and  we  shall  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  for  ever. 

Highest  of  all  our  glory  will  be  ^/le  enjoyment  of  God 
himself.  He  will  be  our  exceeding  joy:  this  bliss  will 
swallow  up  every  other,  the  blessedness  of  God. 
"  The  Lord  is  my  portion,"  saith  my  soul.  "  Whom 
have  I  in  heaven  but  thee  ?  and  there  is  none  upon 
earth  that  I  desire  beside  thee."  Our  God  shall  be 
our  glory. 

Yet  bear  with  me,  I  have  left  out  a  word  again :  the 
text  has  it,  "  Unto  his  eternal  glory."  Ay,  but  that  is 
the  gem  of  the  ring.  The  glory  which  God  has  in  re- 
serve for  his  chosen  will  never  come  to  an  end :  it  will 


240  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

Stay  with  us,  and  we  shall  stay  with  it,  for  ever.  It 
will  always  be  glory,  too  ;  its  brightness  will  never  be- 
come dim  ;  we  shall  never  be  tired  of  it,  or  sated  with 
it.  After  ten  thousand  thousand  millions  of  years  in 
heaven  our  happiness  shall  be  as  fresh  as  when  it  first 
began.  Those  are  no  fading  laurels  which  surround 
immortal  brows.  Eternal  glory  knows  no  diminution. 
Can  you  imagine  a  man  being  born  at  the  same  time 
that  Adam  was  created  and  living  all  these  thousands 
of  years  as  a  king  like  Solomon,  having  all  he  could 
desire  ?  His  would  seem  to  be  a  glorious  life.  But 
if  at  the  end  of  seven  thousand  years  that  man  must 
needs  die,  what  has  it  profited  him  ?  His  glory  is  all 
over  now,  its  fires  have  died  out  in  ashes.  But  you 
and  I,  when  we  once  enter  glory,  shall  receive  what 
we  can  neither  lose  nor  leave.  Eternity  !  Eternity ! 
This  is  the  sweetness  of  all  our  future  bliss.  Rejoice, 
ye  saintly  ones  !  Take  your  harps  down  from  the 
willows,  any  of  you  who  are  morning,  and  if  you 
never  sang  before,  yet  sing  this  mourning — "God  has 
called  us  unto  his  eternal  glory,"  and  this  is  to  be  our 
portion  world  without  end. 

III.  I  can  only  find  time  for  a  few  words  upon  the 
concluding  head,  which  is — what  influence  should 

ALL  THIS  HAVE  UPON  OUR  HEARTS  ? 

I  think,  first,  it  ought  to  excite  desire  in  many  here 
present  that  they  might  attain  unto  glory  by  Christ 
Jesus.  Satan,  when  he  took  our  blessed  Lord  to  the 
top  of  an  exceeding  high  mountain,  tempted  him  to 
worship  him  by  offering  him  the  kingdoms  of  the 


GLORY.  241 

world  and  all  the  glories  thereof.  Satan  is  very  clever, 
and  I  will  at  this  time  take  a  leaf  out  of  his  boolc. 
Will  you  not  fall  down  and  worship  the  Lord  Jesus 
when  he  can  give  you  the  kingdom  of  God  and  all  the 
glory  thereof,  and  all  this,  not  in  pretence,  but  in 
reality  ?  If  there  was  any  force  in  the  temptation  to 
worship  Satan  for  the  sake  of  the  glory  of  this  world, 
how  much  more  reason  is  there  for  urging  you  to 
worship  the  Son  of  God  that  you  may  obtain  his  sal- 
vation with  eternal  glory  !  I  pray  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
drop  a  hot  desire  into  many  a  poor  sinner's  breast 
this  morning  that  he  may  cry,  "  If  this  glory  is  to  be 
had,  I  will  have  it.  and  I  will  have  it  in  God's  way,  for 
I  will  believe  in  Jesus,  I  will  repent,  I  will  come  to  God, 
and  so  obtain  his  promise." 

Secondly,  this  ought  to  move  us  to  the  feeling  of 
fear.  If  there  be  such  a  glory  as  this,  let  us  tremble 
lest  by  any  means  we  should  come  short  of  it.  Oh, 
my  dear  hearers,  especially  you  that  are  my  fellow- 
members,  brother  church  officers,  and  workers  asso- 
ciated with  me,  what  a  dreadful  thing  it  will  be  if  any 
one  of  us  should  come  short  of  this  glory !  Oh,  if 
there  were  no  hell,  it  would  be  hell  enough  to  miss  of 
heaven  !  What  if  there  were  no  pit  that  is  bottomless, 
nor  worm  undying,  nor  nre  unquenchable,  it  would  be 
boundless  misery  to  have  a  shadow  of  a  fear  of  not 
reaching  to  God's  eternal  glory?  Let  us  therefore 
pass  the  time  of  our  sojourning  here  in  fear,  and  let 
us  watch  unto  prayer  and  strive  to  enter  in  at  the 

16 


242  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

Strait  gate.  God  grant  we  may  be  found  of  him  at 
last  to  praise  and  honor ! 

If  we  are  right,  how  this  ought  to  move  us  to  grati- 
tude. Think  of  this,  we  are  to  enjoy  *'  his  eternal 
glory !  "  What  a  contrast  to  our  deserts !  Shame 
and  everlasting  comtempt  are  our  righteous  due  apart 
from  Christ.  If  we  were  to  receive  according  to  our 
merits,  we  should  be  driven  from  his  presence  and 
from  the  glory  of  his  power.  Verily,  he  hath  not 
dealt  with  us  after  our  sins,  nor  rewarded  us  accord- 
ing to  our  iniquities  ;  for,  after  all  our  transgressions, 
he  has  still  reserved  us  for  glory,  and  reserved  glory 
for  us.  What  love  and  zeal  should  burn  in  our 
bosoms  because  of  this  ! 

Last  of  all,  it  should  move  us  to  a  dauntless  courage. 
If  this  glory  is  to  be  had,  do  we  not  feel  like  the 
heroes  in  Bunyan's  picture?  Before  the  dreamer 
there  stood  a  fair  palace,  and  he  saw  persons  walking 
upon  the  top  of  it,  clad  in  light,  and  singing.  Around 
the  door  stood  armed  men  to  keep  back  those  who 
would  enter.  Then  a  brave  man  came  up  to  one  who 
had  a  writer's  ink-horn  by  his  side,  and  said,  "  Set 
down  my  name  ;  "  and  straightway  the  warrior  drew 
his  sword,  and  fought  with  all  his  might,  until  he  had 
cut  his  way  to  the  door,  and  then  he  entered,  and  tha-y 
within  were  heard  to  sing — 

"  Come  in,  come  in, 
Eternal  glory  thou  shalt  win." 

Will  you  not  draw  your  swords  this  morning,  and 


GLORY.  243 

fight  against  sin,  till  you  have  overcome  it?  Do  you 
not  desire  to  win  Christ,  and  to  be  found  in  him  ?  Oh, 
let  us  now  begin  to  feel  a  passion  for  eternal  glory, 
and  then  in  the  strength  of  the  Spirit,  and  in  the  name 
of  Jesus,  let  us  press  forward  till  we  reach  it.  Even 
on  earth  we  may  taste  enough  of  this  glory  to  fill  us 
with  delight.  The  glory  which  I  have  described  to 
you  dawns  on  earth,  though  it  only  comes  to  its  noon- 
tide in  heaven :  the  glory  of  sanctified  character,  the 
glory  of  victory  over  sin,  the  glory  of  relationship  to 
God,  the  glory  of  union  with  Christ — these  are  all  to 
be  tasted  in  a  measure  here  below.  These  o-lories 
send  their  beams  down  even  to  these  valleys  and  low- 
lands. Oh,  to  enjoy  them  to-day  and  thus  to  have 
earnests  and  foretastes  of  glory.  If  we  have  them, 
let  us  go  singing  on  until  we  reach  the  place  where 
God's  eternal  glory  shall  surround  us.     Amen. 


244  SERMONS    AND    LECTURES. 

THE  LUTHER  SERMON  AT  EXETER-HALL. 

"  For  in  Jesus  Christ  neither  ciicumcision  availeth  anything,  nor  uncircum- 
cision ;  but  faith  which  worketh  by  love." — Galatians  v.  6. 

Paul  makes  a  clean  sweep  of  that  trust  in  the 
externals  of  religion  which  is  the  common  temptation 
of  all  time.  Circumcision  was  a  great  thing  with  the 
Jew,  and  oftentimes  he  trusted  in  it;  but  Paul  declares 
that  it  availeth  nothing.  There  might  be  others  who 
were  glad  that  they  were  not  Jews,  but  Paul  declares 
that  their  uncircumcision  availeth  no  more  than  its  op- 
posite. Certain  matters  connected  with  godliness  are 
external,  and  yet  they  are  useful  in  their  places  :  espec- 
ially is  that  the  case  with  baptism  and  the  Lord's  sup- 
per, the  assembling  of  ourselves  together,  the  reading 
of  the  word,  and  public  prayer  and  praise.  These 
things  are  proper  and  profitable;  but  none  of  them 
must  be  made  in  any  measure  or  degree  the  ground 
of  our  hope  of  salvation  ;  for  this  text  sweeps  them  all 
away,  and  plainly  describes  them  as  availing  nothing 
if  they  are  made  to  be  the  foundations  of  our  trust. 

In  Luther's  day  superstitious  confidence  in  external 
observances  had  overlaid  faith  in  the  gospel ;  cere- 
monies had  multiplied  excessively,  and  the  plain  and 
simple  way  of  salvation  was  obscured.  There  was 
need  of  some  sturdy  soul  who,  seeing  the  truth  himself, 
should  show  it  to  others.  When  God  raised  up 
Martin  Luther,  who  was  born  four  centuries  ago,  he 
bore  emphatic  testimony  against  salvation  by  outward 
forms  and  by  the  power  of  priestcraft,  affirming  that 
salvation  is  by  faith,  and  that  the  church  of  God  is 


THE    LUTHER    SERMON.  245 

a  company  of  priests,  every  believer  being  a  priest 

unto  God. 

God's  Clergy. 

If  Luther  had  not  affirmed  it,  the  doctrine  would 
have  been  just  as  true,  for  the  distinction  between 
clergy  and  laity  has  no  excuse  in  Scripture,  which  calls 
the  saints,  "  God's  kleros  " — God's  clergy,  or  heritage. 
Again  we  read,  "  Ye  are  a  royal  priesthood."  Every 
man  that  believes  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  anointed 
to  exercise  the  Christian  priesthood,  and  therefore  he 
need  not  put  his  trust  in  another,  seeing  the  supposed 
priest  is  no  more  than  any  other  man.  Each  man 
must  be  accountable  for  himself  before  God.  Each 
one  must  read  and  search  the  Scriptures  for  himself, 
and  must  believe  for  himself,  and  when  saved,  he  must 
offer  up  himself  as  a  living  sacrifice  unto  God  by  Jesus 
Christ,  who  is  the  only  High  Priest  of  our  profession. 
So  much  for  the  negative  side  of  the  text,  which  is  full 
of  warninof  to  this  Ritualistic  ao^e. 

The  chief  testimony  of  our  great  Reformer  was  to 
the  justification  of  a  sinner  in  the  sight  of  God  by 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  by  that  alone.  He  could 
fidy  have  taken  this  for  his  motto,  "  In  Jesus  Christ 
neither  circumcision  availeth  anything,  nor  uncircum- 
cision ;  but  faith  which  worketh  by  love."  He  was  in 
the  Augustinian  monastery  at  Wittenberg  troubled 
and  perturbed  in  mind;  and  he  read  there,  in  an  old 
Latin  Bible,  this  text, — "The  just  shall  live  by  faith." 
It  was  a  new  idea  to  him,  and  by  its  means  spiritual 
light  entered  his  soul  in  some  degree ;  but  such  were 


246  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

the  prejudices  of  his  up-bringing,  and  such  the  dark- 
ness of  his  surroundings,  that  he  still  hoped  to  find 
salvation  by  outward  performances. 

Long  Fasting:. 

He  therefore  fasted  long,  till  he  was  found  swooning 
from  hunger.  He  was  exceedingly  zealous  for  salva- 
tion by  works.  At  last  he  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome, 
hoping  to  find  there  everything  that  was  holy  and 
helpful :  he  was  disappointed  in  his  search,  but  yet 
found  more  than  he  looked  for.  On  the  pretended 
staircase  of  Pilate,  while  in  the  act  of  climbing  it  upon 
his  knees,  the  Wittenberg  text  again  sounded  in  his 
ear  like  a  thunder-clap  :  "The  just  shall  live  by  faith." 

Up  he  started  and  descended  those  stairs,  never  to 
grovel  upon  them  again.  The  chain  was  broken,  the 
soul  was  free.  Luther  had. found  the  light ;  and  hence- 
forth it  became  his  life's  business  to  flash  that  light 
upon  the  nations,  crying  evermore,  "The  just  shall 
live  by  faith."  The  best  commemoration  which  I  can 
make  of  this  man  is  to  preach  the  doctrine  which  he 
held  so  dear,  and  you  who  are  not  saved  can  best 
assist  me  by  believing  the  doctrine,  and  proving  its 
truth  in  your  own  cases.  May  the  Holy  Ghost  cause 
it  to  be  so  in  hundreds  of  instances. 

I.  First,  let  us  inquire  what  is  this  faith?  We  are 
always  talking  about  it;  but  what  is  it?  Whenever 
I  try  to  explain  it,  I  am  afraid  lest  I  should  confuse 
rather  than  expound. 

Story  of  Biinyan. 

There  is  a  story  told   concerning  John  Bunyan's 


THE    LUTHER    SERMON.  247 

"  Pilgrim's  Progress."  Good  Thomas  Scott,  the 
Commentator,  wrote  notes  to  it ;  he  thought  the 
"  Pilgrim's  Progress  "  a  difficult  book,  and  he  would 
make  it  clear.  A  pious  cottager  in  his  parish  had  the 
book,  and  she  was  reading  it  when  her  minister 
called.  He  said  to  her,  "  Oh,  I  see,  you  are  reading 
Bunyan's  *  Pilgrim's  Progress.'  Do  you  understand 
it  ?  "  She  answered  innocently  enough,  "  Oh,  yes, 
sir,  I  understand  Mr.  Bunyan  very  well,  and  I  hope 
that  one  day  I  shall  be  able  to  understand  your  ex- 
planations." I  am  afraid  lest  you  should  say  when  I 
have  done,  "I  understand  what  faith  is,  as  I  find  it  in 
the  Bible,  and  one  day,  perhaps,  I  may  be  able  to 
understand  the  preacher's  explanation  of  it."  Warned 
by  this,  I  will  speak  as  plainly  as  I  can. 

And  first,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  faith  is  not  a 
mere  creed-holding.  It  is  very  proper  to  say,  "  I  be- 
lieve in  God  the  Father  Almighty,  Maker  of  heaven 
and  earth,"  and  so  forth  ;  but  you  may  repeat  all  that 
and  be  no  "  believer  "  in  the  Scriptural  sense  of  that 
term.  Though  the  creed  be  true,  it  may  not  be  true 
to  you  ;  it  would  have  been  the  same  to  you  if  the 
opposite  had  been  true,  for  you  put  the  truth  away 
like  a  paper  in  a  pigeon-hole,  and  it  has  no  efifect 
upon  you.  "A  very  proper  doctrine,"  you  say, 
"a  very  proper  doctrine,"  and  so  you  put  it  to  sleep. 
It  does  not  influence  your  heart,  nor  affect  your  life. 
Do  not  imagine  that  the  professing  an  orthodox 
creed  is  the  same  thing  as  faith  in  Christ.  A  truthful 
creed  is  desirable  for  many  reasons ;  but  if  it  be  a 


248  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

dead,    inoperative   thing,    it   cannot   bring   salvation. 
Faith  is  belief  of  the  truth  ;  but  it  is  more. 

Important  Distinction. 

Again,  faith  is  not  the  mere  belief  that  there  is  a 
God,  thouofh  that  we  must  have,  for  we  cannot  come 
to  God  except  we  "  believe  that  he  is,  and  that  he  is  a 
rewarder  of  them  that  diligently  seek  him."  We  are 
to  believe  in  God — that  he  is  good,  blessed,  true, 
right,  and  therefore  to  be  trusted,  confided  in,  and 
praised.  Whatever  he  may  do,  whatever  he  may  say, 
God  is  not  to  be  suspected,  but  believed  in. 

You  know  what  it  is  to  believe  in  a  man,  do  you 
not  ?  to  believe  in  a  man  so  that  you  follow  him,  and 
confide  in  him,  and  accept  his  advice  ?  In  that  same 
way  faith  believes  in  God — not  only  believes  that  he 
is,  but  finds  rest  in  his  character,  his  Son,  his  promise, 
his  covenant,  his  word,  and  everything  about  him. 
Faith  livingly  and  lovingly  trusts  in  her  God  about 
everything.  Especially  must  we  believe  in  what  God 
has  revealed  in  Scripture — that  it  is  verily  and  indeed 
a  sure  and  infallible  testimony  to  be  received  without 
question.  We  accept  the  Father's  witness  concerning 
Jesus,  and  take  heed  thereto  "  as  unto  a  light  that 
shineth  in  a  dark  place." 

Faith  has  specially  to  believe  in  him  who  is  the 
sum  and  substance  of  all  this  revelation,  even  Jesus 
Christ,  who  became  God  in  human  flesh  that  he  might 
redeem  our  fallen  nature  from  all  the  evils  of  sin, 
and  raise  it  to  eternal  felicity.  W^e  believe  in  Christ, 
on  Christ,  and  upon  Christ ;    accepting  him  because 


THE   LUTHER   SERMON.  249 

of  the  record  which  God  has  given  to  us  concern- 
ing his  Son,  that  he  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins. 
We  accept  God's  unspeakable  gift,  and  receive  Jesus 
as  our  all  in  all. 

If  I  wanted  to  describe  saving  faith  in  one  word, 
I  should  say  that  it  is  trust.  It  is  so  believing  God 
and  so  believine  in  Christ  that  we  trust  ourselves 
and  our  eternal  destinies  in  the  hands  of  a  reconciled 
God. 

II.  In  the  second  place  we  will  consider,  why  faith 

IS  SELECTED  AS  THE  WAY  OF  SALVATION  ? 

I  would  remind  you  that  if  we  could  not  answer  this 
question  it  would  not  matter ;  for  since  the  Lord  has 
appointed  believing  as  the  way  of  grace  it  is  not  ours 
to  challeno-e  his  choice.  Beo^crars  must  not  be  choos- 
ers  ;  let  us  trust,  if  so  the  Lord  ordains. 

No  Help  for  Past  Defects. 

But  we  can  answer  this  question  in  a  measure. 
First,  it  is  clear  that  7io  other  way  is  possible.  It  is  not 
possible  for  us  to  be  saved  by  our  own  merits,  for  we 
have  broken  the  law  already,  and  future  obedience, 
being  already  due,  cannot  make  up  for  past  defects. 

"  Could  my  tears  for  ever  flow, 
Could  my  zeal  no  respite  know, 
All  for  sin  could  not  atone  : 
Thou  must  save,  and  tliou  alone." 

The  road  of  good  works  is  blocked  up  by  our  past 
sins,  and  it  is  sure  to  be  further  blocked  up  by  future 
sins ;  we  ought  therefore  to  rejoice  that  God  has 
commended  to  us  the  open  road  of  faith. 


250  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

God  has  chosen  the  way  of  faith  that  salvation  might 
be  by  grace.  If  we  had  to  do  anything  in  order  to 
save  ourselves,  we  should  be  sure  to  impute  a  meas- 
ure of  virtue  to  our  own  doings,  or  feehngs,  or  prayers, 
or  almsofiviuCTs,  and  we  should  thus  detract  from  the 
pure  grace  of  God.  But  salvation  comes  from  God 
as  a  pure  favor — an  act  of  undeserved  generosity  and 
benevolence,  and  the  Lord  will,  therefore,  only  put  it 
into  the  hand  of  faith  since  faith  arrogfates  nothinof  to 
herself.  Faith,  in  fact,  disowns  all  idea  of  merit,  and 
the  Lord  of  grace  therefore  elects  to  place  the  treasure 
of  his  love  in  the  hand  of  faith. 

Pride  Crucified. 

Again,  it  is  of  faith  that  thei^e  may  be  no  boasting ; 
for  if  our  salvation  be  of  our  doingrs  or  feelingfs,  we 
are  sure  to  boast ;  but,  if  it  be  of  faith,  we  cannot 
glory  in  self.  "  Where  is  boasting  then  ?  It  is  ex- 
cluded. By  what  law?  of  works?  Nay:  but  by  the 
law  of  faith."  Faith  is  humble,  and  ascribes  all  praise 
to  God.  Faith  is  truthful,  and  confesses  her  obligation 
to  the  sovereio^n  orrace  of  God. 

I  bless  the  Lord  that  he  has  chosen  this  way  of 
faith,  because  zV  e'j-  so  suitable  for  poor  sinners.  Some 
among  us  to-night  would  never  have  been  saved  if 
salvation  had  only  been  prepared  for  the  good  and 
righteous.  Suppose  that  you  were  in  the  last  article 
of  death,  what  good  works  could  you  do  ?  Yonder 
dying  thief  found  it  a  happy  thing  that  by  faith  he 
could  trust  the  Crucified  One,  and  before  set  of  sun 
could  be  with  him  in  Paradise.     Faith  is  a  way  suitable 


THE   LUTHER    SERMON.  261 

for  sinners,  and  especially  for  sinners  who  are  soon 
to  die ;  in  some  sense  we  are  all  in  that  condition,  and 
some  of  us  peradventure  are  especially  so  ;  for  what 
man  among  us  knows  that  he  will  see  to-morrow's 
dawn? 

I  bless  God  again  that  the  way  of  salvation  is  by 
faith,  because  it  is  a  way  open  to  the  most  unleaimed. 
What  fine  theology  we  get  nowadays — deep  thinking 
they  call  it.  The  men  go  down  so  deep  into  their 
subjects,  and  so  stir  the  mud  at  the  bottom,  that  you 
cannot  see  them  and  they  cannot  see  themselves.  I 
apprehend  that  teachers  of  a  certain  school  do  not 
themselves  know  what  they  are  talking  about.  Now, 
if  salvation  were  only  to  be  learned  by  reading  through 
huge  folios,  what  would  become  of  multitudes  of  poor 
souls  in  Bow,  and  Bethnal  Green,  and  Seven  Dials? 
If  the  gospel  had  consisted  of  a  mass  of  learning,  how 
could  the  unlearned  be  saved  ?  But  now  we  can  go 
to  each  one  of  them  and  say,  "  Jesus  died." 

"  There  is  life  in  a  look  at  the  Crucified  One ; 
There  is  life  at  this  moment  for  thee." 

III.  Now,  I  am  going  to  finish  in  a  way  suitable  to 
this  Luther  memorial.  You  have  heard  a  great  deal 
about  1  uther's  preaching  salvation  by  faith  alone. 
Now  LET  us  TURN  TO  Luther's  LIFE,  and  see  what 
Luther  himself  meant  by  it.  What  kind  of  faith  did 
Luther  himself  exhibit  by  which  he  was  justified  ? 

First,  in  Luther's  case,  faith  led  him  to  an  open 
avowal  of  what  he  believed.  Luther  did  not  mean  to 
go  up  to  heaven  by  the  back  stairs,  as  many  young 


252  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

men  hope  to  do.  You  wish  to  be  Christians  on  the 
sly,  so  as  to  escape  the  offence  of  the  cross.  Luther 
did  not  refuse  to  confess  Christ  and  take  up  his  cross 
and  follow  him.  He  knew  that  he  who  with  his  heart 
believeth,  must  also  with  his  mouth  make  confession, 
and  he  did  so  right  nobly.  He  began  teaching  and 
preaching  the  truth  which  had  enlightened  his  own 
soul.  One  of  his  sermons  displeased  Duke  George 
of  Saxony  ;  but  as  it  saved  a  lady  of  high  rank  Luther 
did  not  fret.  He  was  not  the  man  to  conceal  truth 
because  it  was  dangerous  to  avow  it.  It  cost  him 
something  to  stand  up  boldly  for  a  pure  and  simple 
gospel,  but  he  believed  the  testimony  he  gave  was 
worth  much  more  than  it  cost. 

"Without  Money  and  Without  Price." 

The  river  of  life  is  as  free  as  any  river  that  flows  to 
the  sea,  and  all  the  world  may  stoop  down  and  drink. 
Luther  wished  the  people  to  have  free  access  to  the 
Bible.  He  was  not  always  excessively  polite  in  his 
speech ;  he  was  too  earnest  for  that.  He  spoke  from 
the  heart,  he  was  all  on  fire,  and  his  words  were 
heated  sevenfold. 

"  without  money  and  without  price,"  and  he  did  not 
conceal  his  convictions.  He  nailed  his  theses  to  the 
church  door  where  all  might  read  them.  When 
astronomers  require  a  new  constellation  in  the  heavens 
let  it  be  "the  hammer  and  nails."  O  you  who  make 
no  profession,  let  this  man's  outspoken  faith  rebuke 
you ! 

His   dauntless   valor  for  truth   caused  him   to   be 


THE   LUTHER   SERMON.  253 

g^reatly  hated  in  his  own  day  with  a  ferocity  which  has 
not  yet  died  out.  It  has  always  been  so,  and  always 
will  be  so.  Light  has  no  fellowship  with  darkness ; 
oil  and  water  will  not  unite  ;  there  is  no  concord  be- 
tween Christ  and  Belial.  Yet  Luther  would  not  sac- 
rifice his  convictions  for  the  sake  of  the  applause  of 
men.  Feeling  that  he  was  right  he  went  ahead,  and 
did  not  stop  to  count  the  consequences.  Ridicule,  mal- 
ice, even  the  dark  dungeon  could  not  turn  him  aside, 
nor  daunt  his  holy  courage. 

Appeal  to  Youug-  Men. 

Young  men,  I  do  not  know  what  your  ambition  may 
be  ;  but  I  hope  you  do  not  wish  to  be  in  this  world 
mere  chips  in  the  porridge,  giving  forth  no  flavor 
whatever.  My  ambition  does  not  run  in  that  line.  I 
know  that  if  I  have  no  intense  haters,  I  can  have  no 
intense  lovers ;  and  I  am  prepared  to  have  both. 
When  right-hearted  men  see  honest  love  of  truth  in  a 
man,  they  cry,  "  He  is  our  brother.  Let  him  be  our 
champion."  When  the  wrong-hearted  reply,  "  Down 
with  him  !"  we  thank  them  for  the  unconscious  homage 
which  they  thus  pay  to  decision  of  character.  No 
child  of  God  should  court  the  world's  approbation. 
Certainly  Luther  did  not.  He  pleased  God,  and  that 
was  enough  for  him. 

His  faith  was  of  this  kind  also — that  it  moved  him 
to  a  hearty  reverence  for  what  he  believed  to  be  Holy 
Scripture.  I  am  sorry  that  he  was  not  always  wise  in 
his  judgment  of  what  the  Bible  contains ;  but  yet  to 
him  Scripture  was  the  last  court  of  appeal.    If  any  had 


254  LECTURES   AND   SERMONS. 

convinced  Luther  of  error  out  of  that  book,  he  would 
gladly  have  retracted  ;  but  that  was  not  their  plan,  they 
simply  said,  "  He  is  a  heretic :  condemn  him  or  make 
him  retract." 

A  Fool  for  a  Client. 

To  this  he  never  yielded  for  an  instant.  Alas,  in 
this  age  numbers  of  men  are  setting  up  to  be  their 
own  inspired  writers.  I  have  been  told  that  every 
man  who  is  his  own  lawyer  has  a  fool  for  his  client ; 
and  I  am  inclined  to  think  that,  when  any  man  sets  up 
to  be  his  own  Saviour  and  his  own  revelation,  much 
the  same  thinor  occurs.  That  conceited  idea  is  in  the 
air  at  this  present :  every  man  is  excogitating  his  own 
Bible.  Not  so  Luther.  He  loved  the  sacred  book  ! 
He  fought  by  its  help.  It  was  his  battle-axe  and  his 
weapon  of  war.  A  text  of  Scripture  fired  his  soul ; 
but  the  words  of  tradition  he  rejected.  He  would  not 
yield  to  Melancthon,  or  Zwingle,  or  Calvin,  or  whoever 
it  might  be,  however  learned  or  pious ;  he  took  his 
own  personal  faith  to  the  Scripture,  and  according  to 
his  light  he  followed  the  word  of  the  Lord.  May  many 
a  Luther  be  in  this  place  ! 

The  next  thing  I  note  was  the  intense  activity  of  his 
faith.  Luther  did  not  believe  in  God  doing  his  own 
work,  so  as  to  lie  by  in  idleness  himself.  Not  a  bit  of 
it.  A  disciple  once  said  to  Mahomet,  "  I  am  going  to 
turn  my  camel  loose,  and  trust  in  providence."  "  No," 
said  Mahomet,  "trust  in  providence,  but  tie  up  your 
camel  carefully."  This  resembled  Oliver  Cromwell's 
Puritan  precept,  "  Trust  in  God,  but  keep  your  powder 


THE    LUTHER    SERMON.  255 

dry."  Luther  believed  above  most  men  in  keeping 
his  powder  dry.  How  he  worked !  By  pen,  by 
mouth,  by  hand  ;  he  was  energetic  almost  beyond  belief. 

Many  Men  in  One. 

He  seemed  a  many-handed  man.  He  did  works 
which  would  have  taxed  the  strength  of  hundreds  of 
smaller  men.  He  worked  as  if  everything  depended 
upon  his  own  activity,  and  then  he  fell  back  in  holy 
trust  upon  God  as  though  he  had  done  nothing.  This 
is  the  kind  of  faith  which  saves  a  man  both  in  this  life 
and  in  that  which  is  to  come. 

Again,  Luthe7'-''s  faith  abounded  in  pi^ayer.  What 
supplications  they  were  !  Those  who  heard  them  tell 
us  of  his  tears,  his  wrestlings,  his  holy  arguments.  He 
would  go  into  his  closet  heavy  at  heart,  and  remain 
there  an  hour  or  two,  and  then  come  forth  singing, 
"I  have  conquered,  I  have  conquered."  "Ah,"  said  he 
one  day,  "  I  have  so  much  to  do  to-day  that  I  cannot 
get  through  it  with  less  than  three  hours'  prayer."  I 
thought  he  was  going  to  say,  "  I  cannot  afford  to  give 
even  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to  prayer ;  "  but  he  increased 
his  prayer  as  he  increased  his  labor.  This  is  the  faith 
that  saves — a  faith  that  lays  hold  on  God  and  prevails 
with  him  in  private  supplication. 

Dukes  could  not  Stop  Him. 

His  was  a  faith  that  delivered  him  entirely  from  the 
fear  of  man.  Duke  George  is  going  to  stop  him.  "  Is 
he?"  said  Luther.  "If  it  were  to  rain  Duke  Georges 
I  would  go."  He  is  exhorted  not  to  go  to  Worms,  for 
he  will  be  in  danger.     If  there  were  as  many  devils  in 


256  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

Worms  as  there  are  tiles  on  the  house-tops  he  would 
be  there.  And  he  was  there,  as  you  all  know,  playing 
the  man  for  the  gospel  and  for  his  God.  He  committed 
himself  to  no  man,  but  kept  his  faith  in  God  pure  and 
unmingled.  Dukes,  emperors,  doctors,  electors  were 
all  as  nothing  to  Luther  when  they  stood  against  the 
Lord.     Be  it  so  with  us  also. 

His  was  a  faith  that  made  him  risk  all  for  the  truth. 
There  seemed  no  hope  of  his  ever  coming  back  from 
Worms  alive.  He  was  pretty  sure  to  be  burned  like 
John  Huss ;  and  the  wonder  is  that  he  escaped.  His 
very  daring  brought  him  safety  from  peril.  He  ex- 
pressed his  regret  that  the  crown  of  martyrdom  would, 
in  all  probability,  be  missed  by  him ;  but  the  faith 
which  is  prepared  to  die  for  Jesus  was  within  him.  He 
who  in  such  a  case  saves  his  live  shall  lose  it,  but  he 
that  loses  his  life  for  Christ's  sake  shall  find  it  unto  life 
eternal. 

Relig-ion  in  a  Glass  Case. 

This  was  the  faith  that  made  Luther  a  man  among 
men,  and  saved  him  from  priestly  affectation.  I  do  not 
know  whether  you  admire  what  is  thought  to  be  very 
superior  religion :  it  is  a  thing  of  beauty,  but  not  of  use  ; 
it  ought  always  to  be  kept  in  a  glass  case ;  it  is  made 
up  for  drawing-rooms  and  religious  meetings,  but 
would  be  out  of  place  in  a  shop  or  on  a  farm.  Now, 
Luther's  religion  was  with  him  at  home,  at  the  table  as 
well  as  in  the  pulpit.  His  religion  was  part  and  parcel 
of  his  common  life,  and  that  life  was  free,  open,  bold, 
and  unrestraine<i. 


THE   LUTHER   SERMON.  257 

It  is  easy  to  find  fault  with  him  from  the  superfine 
standpoint,  for  he  lived  in  an  honest  unguardedness. 
My  admiration  kindles  as  I  think  of  the  hearty  open- 
ness of  the  man.  I  do  not  wonder  that  even  ungodly 
Germans  revere  him,  for  he  is  all  a  German  and  all  a 
man.  When  he  speaks  he  does  not  take  his  words 
out  of  his  mouth  to  look  at  them,  and  to  ask  Melanc- 
thon  whether  they  will  do ;  but  he  hits  hard,  and  he  has 
spoken  a  dozen  sentences  before  he  has  thought 
whether  they  are  polished  or  not.  Indeed,  he  is  utterly 
indifferent  to  criticism,  and  speaks  what  he  thinks  and 
feels.  He  is  at  his  ease,  for  he  feels  at  home:  is  he 
not  everywhere  In  his  great  Father's  house  ?  Has  he 
not  a  pure  and  simple  intent  to  speak  the  truth  and  do 

the  rio:ht? 

IiUtlier*s  Home  Life. 

I  like  Luther  with  a  wife  and  children.  I  like  to 
see  him  with  his  family  and  a  Christmas-tree,  mak- 
ing music  with  litde  Johnny  Luther  on  his  knee. 
I  love  to  hear  him  sing  a  litde  hymn  with  the  chil- 
dren, and  tell  his  pretty  boy  about  the  horses  in 
heaven  with  golden  bridles  and  silver  saddles.  Faith 
had  not  taken  away  his  manhood,  but  sanctified  it 
to  noblest  uses.  Luther  did  not  live  and  move  as 
if  he  were  a  mere  cleric,  but  as  a  brother  to  our 
common  humanity. 

After  all,  brethren,  you  must  know  that  the  greatest 

divines    have   to    eat    bread    and    butter    like  other 

people.     They  shut    their   eyes    before    they    sleep, 

and  they  open  them  in  the  morning,  just  like  other 

17 


258  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

folks.  This  Is  matter  of  fact,  though  some  stilted 
gentlemen  might;^  like  us  to  doubt  it.  They  feel 
and  think  like  other  men.  Why  should  they  seem 
as  if  they  did  not  ?  Is  it  not  a  good  thing  to  eat 
and  drink  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  show  people 
that  common  things  can  be  sanctified  by  the  word 
of  God  and  prayer?  What  if  we  do  not  wear 
canonicals,  and  so  on  ?  The  best  canonicals  in  the 
world  are  thorough  devotion  to  the  Lord's  work ; 
and  if  a  man  lives  aright,  he  makes  every  garment 
a  vestment,  every  meal  a  sacrament,  and  every  house 
a  temple.  All  our  hours  are  canonical,  all  our  days 
holy  days,  every  breath  is  incense,  every  pulse  music 
for  the  Most  Uiorh. 

Luther's  Charity. 

They  tell  us  that  Luther  ignored  good  works.  It 
is  true  he  would  not  allow  good  works  to  be  spoken 
of  as  the  means  of  salvation  ;  but  of  those  who  pro- 
fessed faith  in  Jesus  he  demanded  holy  lives.  Luther 
ubounded  in  prayer  and  charity.  What  an  almsglver 
Luther  was !  I  fear  he  did  not  at  all  times  duly 
regard  the  principles  of  the  Charity  Organization 
Society.  As  he  goes  along,  if  there  are  beggars  he 
empties  his  pockets  for  them.  Two  hundred  crowns 
have  just  come  In,  and,  though  he  has  a  family  about 
him,  he  cries,  "  Two  hundred  crowns !  God  is  giving 
me  my  portion  In  this  life."  "  Here,"  says  he  to  a 
poor  brother  minister,  "  take  half.  And  where  are 
the  poor  ?     Fetch  them  in.     I  must  be  rid  of  this  !  " 

I  am  afraid  that  his  Catherine  was  forced  at  times 


THE   LUTHER   SERMON". 


259 


to  shake  her  head  at  him ;  for,  in  truth,  he  was  not 
always  the  most  economical  husband  that  might  be. 
In  almsgiving  he  was  second  to  none,  and  in  all  the 
duties  of  life  he  rose  far  beyond  the  level  of  his  age. 
Lii^e  all  other  men  he  had  his  faults;  but  as  his 
enemies  harp  on  that  string,  and  go  far  beyond  the 
truth,  I  need  not  dwell  upon  his  failings.  I  wish  that 
the  detractors  of  Luther  were  half  as  good  as  he. 
All  the  glory  of  his  grand  career  be  unto  the  Lord 
alone. 

Lasdy,  Luther's  faith  was  a  faith  that  helped  him 
under  struggles  that  are  seldom  spoken  of.  I  suppose 
that  never  man  had  greater  soul-conflict  than  Luther. 
He  was  a  man  of  heights  and  depths.  Sometimes 
he  went  up  to  heaven  and  he  sang  his  hallelujahs ; 
and  then  he  went  down  again  into  the  abyss  with 
his  "  misereres."  I  am  afraid  that,  great,  vigorous 
man  that  he  was,  he  had  a  bad  liver.  He  was 
grievously  afflicted  in  body  in  ways  which  I  need  not 
mention  ;  and  he  was  sometimes  laid  aside  for 
months  together,  being  so  racked  and  tortured  that 
he  longed  to  die.  His  pains  were  extreme,  and  we 
.wonder  how  he  endured  them  so  well.  But  ever 
between  the  attacks  of  illness  Luther  was  up  again 
preaching  the  word  of  God.  Those  desperate  strug- 
gles with  the  devil  would  have  crushed  him  but  for 
his  faith.  The  devil  seems  to  have  been  constantly 
assailing  him,  and  he  was  constantly  assailing  the 
devil.     In  that  treinendous  duel  he  fell  back  upon  his 


260  SEKAIONS   AND   LECTURES. 

Lord,  and,  trusting  in  Omnipotence,  he  put  Satan  to 
rout. 

Young  men,  I  pray  that  a  Luther  may  spring  up 
from  your  ranks.  How  gladly  would  the  faithful  wel- 
come him  1  I,  who  am  more  a  follower  of  Calvin  than 
of  Luther,  and  much  more  a  follower  of  Jesus  than  of 
either  of  th'^m,  would  be  charmed  to  see  another 
Luther  upon  this  earth. 

God  ble?«  you,  brethren,  for  Christ's  sake.    Amen. 


THE  BEST  WAR-CRY,  261 

THE  BEST  WAR-CRY. 

**  The  Lord  his  God  is  with  him,  and  the  shout  of  a  king  is  among  them,"— 
Kumbers  xxiii.  21. 

It  was  a  singular  spectacle  to  see  the  king  of  Moab 
and  his  lords  climbing  to  the  tops  of  the  craggy  rocks, 
accompanied  by  that  strange  being,  the  Eastern 
prophet  Balaam.  They  are  seeking  to  look  upon 
Israel  with  the  evil  eye,  and  flash  down  curses  upon 
her  tents  in  the  plain  beneath.  You  see  them  gazing 
down  from  the  mountains  upon  the  encampment  in  the 
wilderness  below,  like  vultures  from  aloft  spy  out  their 
prey.  They  watch  with  keen  and  cruel  eyes.  Cunning 
and  malice  are  in  their  countenances.  How  Balak 
longs  to  crush  the  nation  which  he  fears  !  They  are 
secretly  endeavoring  by  spell  and  enchantment  to 
bring  evil  upon  the  people  whom  Jehovah  has  chosen 
and  led  into  the  wilderness. 

You  see  them  offerinof  their  seven  bullocks  and 
their  seven  rams  upon  the  seven  altars  which  they  have 
set  upon  Pisgah's  rocks  ;  and  Balaam  retires  to  wait 
undl  the  afiflatus  shall  come  upon  him,  and  he  shall  be 
able  to  prophesy.  In  all  probability  Moses  knew 
nothing  about  this  at  the  time  ;  and  certainly  the  people 
below  knew  nothing  of  the  foul  conspiracy.  There 
lay  the  tribes  in  the  valley,  unaware  that  mischief  was 
brewing,  and  quite  unable  to  meet  the  dark  design 
even  if  they  had  been  aware  of  it.  What  a  mercy  itwas 
for  them  that  they  were  guarded  by  a  Watcher,  and  a 
Holy  One,  whose  eyes  can  never  slumber.     How  true 


262  SERMOKS  AND  LECTURES. 

it  is — "  I  the  Lord  do  keep  it ;  I  will  water  it  every 
moment:  lest  any  hurt  it,  I  will  keep  it  night  and  day." 
The  Lord's  eyes  are  fixed  upon  Balaam  the  hireling, 
and  Balak  the  Son  of  Zippor :  in  vain  do  they  weave 
the  enchantment  and  work  the  divination ;  they  shall 
be  utterly  ashamed  and  confounded.  They  were  baf- 
fled in  their  machinations,  and  utterly  defeated  in  their 
schemes,  and  that  for  one  single  reason :  It  is  written, 
"Jehovah  Shammah — the  Lord  is  there."  God's 
presence  in  the  midst  of  his  people  is  as  a  wall  of  fire 
round  about  them,  and  a  glory  in  their  midst.  The 
Lord  is  their  light  and  their  salvation,  whom  shall  they 
fear  ? 

Crafty  Intrig-iies. 

At  this  present  time  God  has  a  people,  a  rem.nant 
according  to  the  election  of  grace,  who  still  dwell  like 
sheep  in  the  midst  of  wolves.  When,  as  a  part  of  the 
Lord's  church,  we  look  at  our  surroundings,  we  see 
much  that  might  cause  us  alarm  ;  for  never,  either  day 
or  night,  is  Satan  quiet.  Like  a  roaring  lion  he  goeth 
about,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour:  he  plots  in 
secret  his  crafty  devices :  if  it  were  possible  he  would 
deceive  even  the  very  elect.  This  prince  of  darkness  has 
on  earth  many  most  diligent  servants,  compassing  sea 
and  land  to  make  proselytes,  laying  out  all  their 
strength,  and  using  all  their  craft  and  cunning  if  by 
any  means  they  may  destroy  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
blot  out  the  truth  from  under  heaven. 

It  is  saddest  of  all  to  see  certain  men  who  know  the 
truth  in  some   degree,  as    Balaam  did,  enterini^  into 


THE   BEST  "WAR-CRY.  263 

league  with  the  adversary  against  the  true  Israel. 
These  combine  their  arts,  and  use  all  possible  means 
that  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God,  and  the  church 
that  holds  it,  may  utterly  be  destroyed.  If  the  church 
be  not  destroyed  it  will  be  no  thanks  to  her  enemies, 
for  they  would  swallow  her  up  quick.  When  we  look 
upon  the  signs  of  the  times  our  hearts  grow  heavy ; 
for  iniquity  abounds,  the  love  of  many  waxes  cold, 
many  false  spirits  have  gone  abroad  into  the  earth, 
and  some  whom  we  looked  upon  as  helpers  are  proving 
themselves  to  be  of  another  order.  Wliat  then  ?  Are 
we  dismayed  ?  By  no  means,  for  that  same  God  who 
was  in  the  midst  of  the  church  in  the  wilderness  is  in 
the  church  of  these  last  days. 

The  Immortal  Church, 
Again  shall  her  adversaries  be  defeated.     Still  will 
he  defend  her,  for  the  Lord  has  built  his  church  upon 
a  rock,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against 
her.     The  reason  of  her  safety  is  this : 

"  God  in  the  midst  of  her  doth  dwell 
Nothing  shall  her  remove ; 
The  Lord  to  her  a  helper  shall, 
And  that  right  early,  prove." 

Our  text  declares  the  grand  safeguard  of  the  church 
of  God,  ensuring  her  against  every  peril  known  and 
unknown,  earthly  or  Satanic; — "Jehovah  his  God  is 
with  him,  and  the  shout  of  a  king  is  among  them." 

May  the  Holy  Spirit  help  me  while  I  try  to  speak 
first  upon  God's  presence  with  his  people ;  secondly, 
upon  the  results  of  that  presence ;  and,  thirdly,  upon 


264  SERMONS  AND  LECTtJRES. 

how,  by  the  grace  of  God,  that p7^esence  may  be  preserved 
contiimally  amongst  us, 

I.  First,  let  me  speak  a  little  upon  God's  presence 
AMONG  HIS  PEOPLE.  It  is  an  extraordinary  presence,  for 
God's  ordinary  and  usual  presence  is  everywhere. 
Whither  shall  we  flee  from  his  presence  ?  He  is  in 
the  highest  heaven  and  in  the  lowest  hell :  the  hand 
of  the  Lord  is  upon  the  high  hills,  and  his  power  is  in 
all  deep  places. 

A  Peculiar  Presence. 

This  knowledge  is  too  high  and  wonderful  for  us : 
yet  everywhere  is  God,  for  in  him  we  live  and  move 
and  have  our  being.  Still  there  is  a  peculiar  presence ; 
for  God  was  among  his  people  in  the  wilderness  as  he 
was  not  amonof  the  Moabites  and  the  Edomites  their 
foes,  and  God  is  in  his  church  as  he  is  not  in  the 
■world.  It  is  a  peculiar  promise  of  the  covenant  that 
God  will  dwell  with  his  people  and  walk  among  them. 
By  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  the  Lord  is  with  us  and 
in  lis  at  this  hour.  He  saith  of  his  church,  "Here 
will  I  dwell,  for  I  have  desired  it."  This  is  much 
more  than  God's  being  about  us  ;  it  includes  the  favor 
of  God  towards  us,  his  consideration  of  us,  his  work- 
ing with  us.  An  active  nearness  to  bless  is  the  pres- 
ence of  which  we  speak. 

Here  we  may  say  with  great  reverence  that  God  is 
with  his  people  in  the  entireness  of  his  natiLre.  The 
Father  is  with  us,  for  the  Father  himself  loveth  us. 
Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth 
them  that  fear  him.     He  Is  near  to  us,  supplying  our 


THE  BEST  WAR-CRY.  265 

needs,  guiding  our  steps,  helping  us  In  time,  and 
tutoring  us  for  eternity.  God  is  where  his  children 
are,  hearing  every  groan  of  their  sorrow,  marking 
every  tear  of  their  distress.  The  Father  is  in  the 
midst  of  his  family,  acting  a  father's  part  towards 
them.  "  Lord,  thou  hast  been  our  dwelling-place  in 
all  generations."  He  is  never  far  from  any  into  whose 
breasts  he  has  put  the  spirit  of  adoption  whereby  we 
cry,  "Abba,  Father!"  Come,  ye  children  of  God, 
rejoice  in  this  :  your  heavenly  Father  has  come  unto 
you,  and  abides  with  you. 

**Lo,  I  am  witli  You." 

We  have  also  the  presence  of  the  divine  Son  of 
God.  Said  he  not  to  his  apostles,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you 
alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world?"  Have  we 
not  this  for  our  joy  whenever  we  come  together,  that 
we  meet  in  his  name,  and  that  he  still  says,  "  Peace 
be  unto  you,"  and  manifests  himself  unto  us  as  he 
doth  not  unto  the  world  ?  Many  of  you  know  most 
delightfully  what  it  is  to  have  fellowship  with  God,  for 
"truly  our  fellowship  is  with  the  Father,  and  with  his 
Son,  Jesus  Christ;"  and  this  fellowship  were  not  ours 
if  we  were  not  made  nigh  by  his  precious  blood. 
Very  near  are  we  to  the  heart  of  Christ ;  he  dwells 
with  us ;  yea,  he  is  one  with  us. 

Peculiarly  this  presence  relates  to  the  Holy  Ghost. 
It  Is  he  who  represents  the  Lord  Jesus  who  has  gone 
from  us.  We  have  a  double  portion  of  Christ's  spirit, 
because  we  see  him  now  that  he  is  taken  up  ;  even  as 
Elisha  had  a  double  portion  of  Elijah's  spirit,  according 


266  LECTURES   AND   SERMONS. 

to  the  prophet's  saying,  "  If  thou  see  me  when  I  am 
taken  from  thee,  it  shall  be  so  unto  thee ;"  that  is,  a 
double  portion  of  my  spirit  shall  rest  upon  thee.  It 
was  expedient  that  our  Lord  and  Master  should  go, 
that  the  Spirit  might  be  given.  That  Spirit  once  out- 
poured at  Pentecost  has  never  been  withdrawn.  He 
is  still  in  the  midst  of  this  dispensation,  working, 
guiding,  quickening,  comforting,  exercising  all  the 
blessed  office  of  the  Paraclete,  and  beingf  for  us  and 
in  us  God's  advocate,  pleading  for  the  truth,  and 
for  us. 

The  Glory  of  tlie  Cliurch. 

Yes,  dear  friends,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Spirit  are  in  the  midst  of  the  true  church  of  God  when 
that  church  is  in  a  right  and  healthy  state ;  and  if  the 
triune  God  be  gone  away  from  the  church,  then  her 
banners  must  trail  in  the  dust,  for  her  warriors  have 
lost  their  strength.  This  is  the  glory  of  the  church  of 
God — to  have  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
the  love  of  God  the  Father,  and  the  communion  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  be  her  never-failing  benediction.  What 
a  glory  to  have  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit  manifest- 
inor  the  Godhead  in  the  midst  of  our  assemblies,  and 
blessing  each  one  of  us. 

For  God  to  dwell  with  us  :  what  a  condescending 
presence  this  is  !  And  will  God  in  very  truth  dwell 
among  men  ?  If  the  heaven  of  heavens  cannot  contain 
him,  will  he  abide  among  his  people  ?  He  will !  He 
will !  Glory  be  to  his  name !  "  Know  ye  not  that 
your  bodies  are  the   temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost?" 


THE   BEST   WAR-CRT.  267 

God  dwelleth  in  us.  Wonderful  word !  Who  can 
fathom  the  depth  of  this  grace  ?  The  mystery  of  the 
incarnation  is  equalled  by  the  mystery  of  the  indwell- 
ing. That  God  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  dwell  in  our 
bodies  is  as  extraordinary  as  that  God  the  Son  should 
inhabit  that  body  which  was  born  of  the  blessed  virgin. 
Strange,  strange  is  this,  that  the  Creator  should  dwell 
in  his  creatures,  that  the  Infinite  should  tabernacle  in 
finite  beings.     Yet  so  it  is,  for  he  has  said,  "  Certainly 

I  will  be  with  thee." 

True  Worship. 

What  an  awe  this  imparts  to  every  true  church  of 
God !  You  may  go  in  and  out  of  certain  assemblies, 
and  you  may  say,  "  Here  we  have  beauty!  here  we  have 
adornment,  musical,  ecclesiastical,  architectural,  orator- 
ical, and  the  like  !"  but  to  my  mind  there  is  no  worship 
like  that  which  proceeds  from  a  man  when  he  feels — 
the  Lord  is  here.  What  a  hush  comes  over  the  soul ! 
Here  is  the  place  for  the  bated  breath,  the  unsandalled 
foot,  and  the  prostrate  spirit.  Now  are  we  on  holy 
ground.  When  the  Lord  descends  in  the  majesty  of 
his  infinite  love  to  deal  with  the  hearts  of  men,  then  it 
is  with  us  as  it  was  in  Solomon's  temple  when  the 
priests  could  not  stand  to  minister  by  reason  of  the 
glory  that  filled  the  place.  Man  is  set  aside,  for  God 
is  there. 

In  such  a  case  the  most  fluent  think  it  better  to  be 
silent;  for  there  is  at  times  more  expressiveness  in 
absolute  silence  than  in  the  fittest  words.  "  How 
dreadful  is  this  place !  this  is  none  other  but  the  house 


268  LECTtJRES   AND   SERMONS. 

of  God,  and  diis  is  die  gate  of  heaven."  For  why? 
Because  Jacob  had  said,  "  Surely  die  Lord  is  In  diis 
place."  We  regard  die  lowliest  assemblies  of  the 
most  illiterate  people  with  solemn  reverence  if  God  be 
there  ;  we  regard  the  laro^est  assemblies  of  the  wealth- 
iest  and  most  renowned  with  utter  indifference  if  God 
be  not  there. 

Nothing  Witliout  God. 

This  is  the  one  necessary  of  the  church ;  the  Lord 
God  must  be  in  the  midst  of  her,  or  she  is  nothing.  If 
God  be  there,  peace  will  be  within  her  walls^  and  pros- 
perity within  her  palaces;  but  if  the  Lord  be  not  there 
woe  imto  the  men  that  speak  in  his  name,  for  they 
shall  cry  in  bitterness,  "Who  hath  believed  our  report?" 
Woe  unto  the  waiting  people,  for  they  shall  go  away 
empty  !  Woe  unto  the  sinners  in  a  forsaken  Zion,  for 
them  comes  no  salvation  !  The  presence  of  God  makes 
the  Church  to  be  a  joyful,  happy,  solemn  place:  this 
brings  glory  to  his  name  and  peace  to  his  people  ; 
but  without  it,  all  faces  are  pale,  all  hearts  are  heavy. 

Brethren,  this  presence  of  God  is  clearly  discej^nedhy 
the  gracious,  though  others  may  not  know  it.  Yet 
methinks  even  the  ungracious  in  a  measure  perceive 
it, — coming  into  the  assembly  they  are  struck  with  a 
secret  something,  they  know  not  what ;  and  if  they  do 
not  immediately  join  in  the  worship  of  the  present 
God,  yet  a  deep  impression  is  made  upon  them  beyond 
any  that  could  be  caused  by  the  sound  of  human 
speech,  or  by  the  grandeur  of  outward  show.  They 
feel  awed,  and  retire  abashed. 


THE  BEST  WAR-CRT.  269 

The  Great  Enemy. 

Certainly  the  devil  knows  where  God  is, — none 
better  than  he.  He  hates  the  camp  of  which  Jehovah 
is  the  leader ;  against  it  he  doubles  his  enmity,  multi- 
plies his  plots,  and  exercises  all  his  power.  He  knows 
where  his  kingrdom  finds  its  bravest  assailants,  and  he 
therefore  attacks  their  head-quarters,  even  as  did 
Balaam  and  Balak  of  old. 

Let  us  look  at  Balaam  for  a  moment.  May  we 
never  run  in  the  way  of  Balaam  for  a  reward  ;  but  let 
us  stand  in  his  way  for  a  moment  that  he  may  be  our 
beacon.  This  man  had  sold  himself  for  gold,  and 
though  he  knew  God  and  spoke  under  inspiration,  yet 
he  knew  him  not  in  his  heart,  but  was  willing  to  curse 
God's  people  for  hire.  He  was  thwarted  in  his  design 
because  God  was  there.  It  is  worth  our  while  to  see 
what  kind  of  a  God  Jehovah  is  in  Balaam's  estimation. 
He  describes  our  God  in  verse  nineteen, — **  God  is  not 
a  man  that  he  should  lie ;  neither  the  son  of  man  that 
he  should  repent ;  hath  he  said,  and  shall  he  not  do  it? 
or  hath  he  spoken,  and  shall  he  not  make  it  good  ?  " 
Balaam  perceived  that  the  God  who  was  in  the  midst 
of  his  people  is  not  a  changeable  God,  not  a  false  God, 
not  one  who  promises  and  forgets,  or  promises  and 
eats  his  words,  or  promises  what  he  cannot  and  will 
not  perform. 

The  Sure  Promises. 

The  God  of  Israel  is  faithful  and  true,  immutable 
unchanging:  everyone  of  his  promises  shall  be  fuL 
filled :  none  of  his  words   shall  fall   to  the  ground 


270  LECTURES   AND    SERMONS. 

**  Hath  he  said,  and  shall  he  not  do  it  ? — hath  he 
spoken,  and  shall  it  not  come  to  pass  ?  "  What  a  joy 
it  is  to  have  such  a  God  as  this  among  us, — a  promise- 
making  and  a  promise-keeping  God ;  a  God  at  work 
for  liis  people,  as  he  has  declared  he  would  be ;  a  God 
comforting  and  cheering  his  people,  and  fulfilling  in 
their  experience  that  which  his  word  had  led  them  to 
expect.  This  God  is  our  God  for  ever  and  ever ;  he 
shall  be  our  guide  even  unto  death. 

My  dear  friends,  we  sometimes  hear  men  talk  of 
the  failure  of  the  church.  We  are  afraid  that  some 
churches  do  fail.  W^herever  failure  occurs,  the  bottom 
of  it  is  the  absence  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  for  he  cannot 
fail.  I  heard  one,  speaking  of  the  district  in  which  he 
lives,  say,  "We  are  a  religious  people  ;  almost  all  the 
people  attend  a  place  of  worship,  but,"  he  added,  "  I 
am  bound  to  add  that  of  spiritual  life  we  have  few 
traces.  One  church  has  given  up  its  prayer-meetings; 
another  feels  that  its  entertainments  are  more  impor- 
tant than  its  worship,  and  another  is  notorious  for 
worldliness."     This  is  a  tesdmony  as  terrible  as  it  is 

common. 

Dead  Christians. 

The  worst  thing  that  can  be  said  of  any  Christian 
community  is  this:  "Thou  hast  a  name  to  live  and  art 
dead."  "  Thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot."  Our  Lord 
Jesus  says,  "  I  would  thou  wert  cold  or  hot.  So  then 
because  thou  art  lukewarm,  and  neither  cold  nor  hot, 
I  will  spew  thee  out  of  my  mouth."  A  church  without 
life  and  zeal  makes  Christ  sick ;  he  cannot  bear  it.  He 


THE  BEST  WAR-CRY.  271 

can  put  up  with  downright  godlessness  sooner  than 
with  a  profession  of  religion  out  of  which  the  Hfe  and 
the  power  are  gone,  since  it  has  cooled  down  into 
lukewarmness.  This,  then,  we  should  pray  for  contin- 
ually— the  presence  of  God  in  the  midst  of  his  people. 

"  Great  Shepherd  of  thine  Israel 
Who  didst  between  the  cherubs  dwell, 
And  ledd'st  the  tribes,  thy  chosen  sheep. 
Safe  through  the  desert  and  the  deep  • 

Thy  church  is  in  the  desert  now ; 

Shine  from  on  high,  and  guide  us  through; 

Turn  us  to  thee,  thy  love  restore  ; 

We  shall  be  saved,  and  sigh  no  more." 

II.  To  whet  your  desire  for  this  let  me  pass  on  to 
the  second  head  of  my  subject,  which  is  briefly  to 
describe  the  results  of  this  divine  presence.  Some 
of  these  results  are  mentioned  in  the  context.  One  of 
the  first  is  leading — "God  brought  them  out  of  Egypt" 
(verse  22).  The  best  critics  give  us  another  render- 
ing :  "  God  is  bringing  them  out  of  Egypt."  When 
God  is  in  the  midst  of  his  people  he  is  leading  them, 
so  that  we  may  cheerfully  sing  that  song,  "He  leadeth 
me ;  he  leadeth  me,"  and  go  on  with  David  to  word  it, 
"  He  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters."  We  want  no 
other  leader  in  the  church  when  we  have  God;  for  his 
eye  and  arm  will  guide  his  people. 

Human  Inefficiency. 

I  am  always  afraid  of  having  human  rules  in  a 
church,  and  equally  fearful  of  being  governed  by  human 
precedents.  I  am  afraid  of  power  being  vested  in  one, 
or  two,  or  twenty  men ;  the  power  must  be  in  the  Lord 


272  iJERMONS  AND  LECTURES. 

himself.  That  church  which  has  God  in  the  midst  of 
it  rules  itself,  and  goes  right  without  any  other  guid- 
ance but  that  which  comes  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  work- 
ing. Such  a  church  keeps  together  without  aiming  at 
uniformity,  and  goes  on  to  victory  even  though  it 
makes  no  noise.  That  movement  is  riofht  which  is  led 
by  God,  and  that  is  sure  to  be  all  wrong  which  is  led 
in  the  best  possible  way  if  God  be  absent.  Organiza- 
tion is  all  very  well,  but  I  sometimes  feel  inclined  to 
join  with  Zwingle  in  the  battle  when  he  said,  "  In  the 
name  of  the  Holy  Trinity  let  all  loose:"  for  when 
everybody  is  free,  if  God  be  present,  everybody  is 
bound  to  do  the  right.  When  each  man  moves 
according  to  the  divine  instinct  in  him  there  will  be 
little  need  of  regfulations :  all  is  order  where  God 
rules. 

Empty  Schemes  and  Systems. 

Just  as  the  atoms  of  matter  obey  the  present  power 
o(  God,  so  do  separate  believers  obey  the  one  great 
Impelling  influence.  Oh,  for  God  to  be  in  the  church 
to  lead  it :  and  it  shall  be  rightly  guided.  Do  not  fall 
in  love  with  this  particular  system  or  that,  my  brother ; 
do  not  cry  up  this  scheme  of  working  or  that!  Get 
the  Spirit  of  God,  and  almost  any  shape  that  spiritual 
life  takes  will  be  a  form  of  energy  suitable  for  the 
particular  emergency.  God  never  leads  his  people 
wrongly.  It  is  for  them  to  follow  the  fiery,  cloudy 
pillar ;  though  it  lead  them  through  the  sea,  they  shall 
traverse  it  dry-shod ;  though  it  lead  them  through  a 
desert,  they  shall  be  fed ;  though  it  bring  them  into  a 


THE  BEST   WAR-CRT.  273 

thirsty  land,  they  shall  drink  to  the  full  of  water  from 
the  rock.  We  must  have  the  Lord  with  us  to  gfuide 
us  into  our  promised  rest. 

The  next  blessing  is  strength.  "  He  hath  as  it  were 
the  strength  of  an  unicorn"  (verse  22).  It  is  gener- 
ally agreed  that  the  creature  here  meant  is  an  extinct 
species  of  urus  or  ox,  most  nearly  represented  by  the 
buffalo  of  the  present  period.  This  gives  us  the  sen- 
tence,— "  He  hadi  as  it  were  the  strength  of  a  buffalo." 
When  God  is  in  a  church,  what  rugged  strength,  what 
massive  force,  what  irresistible  energy  is  sure  to  be 

there ! 

Backbone  Wanting-. 

And  how  untamable  is  the  livino-  force  !  You  can- 
not  yoke  this  buffalo  to  everybody's  plough :  it  has  its 
own  free  way  of  living,  and  it  acts  after  its  own  style. 
When  the  Lord  is  with  a  church  her  power  is  not  in 
numbers,  though  very  speedily  she  will  increase;  her 
power  is  not  wealth,  though  God  will  take  care  that 
the  money  comes  when  it  is  needed:  her  power  lies  in 
God,  and  that  power  becomes  irresistible,  untamable, 
unconquerable.     Force  and  energy  are  with  the  Lord. 

I  do  fear  me  that  what  many  bodies  of  Christian 
people  need  is  this  force. 

Examine  yonder  religious  body  :  it  is  huge,  but  it 
lacks  muscle  ;  it  is  a  fine-looking  organization,  but  soul, 
sinew,  backbone  are  wanting.  Where  God  is  there  is 
sure  to  be  life-force.  When  the  Spirit  of  God  de- 
scended upon  the  first  saints  they  began  to  speak  with 
wondrous  power ;  and  though  they  were  persecuted, 


274  SERMONS   AND  LECTURES. 

they  were  not  subdued.  No  bit  could  be  put  into  their 
mouths  to  hold  them  in,  for  they  went  everywhere 
preaching  the  word.  Of  the  true  Israel  it  shall  be 
said — his  strength  is  as  the  strenorth  of  the  buffalo :  it 
cannot  be  controlled  or  conquered. 

The  next  result  is  safety.  "  Surely  there  is  no  en- 
chantment against  Jacob,  neither  is  there  any  divina- 
tion against  Israel."  The  presence  of  God  quietly  baf- 
fles all  the  attempts  of  the  evil  one.  I  have  noticed, 
dear  brethren,  in  this  church,  where  we  have  had  God's 
presence  in  a  great  measure,  that  all  around  us  people 
have  gone  off  to  this  opinion  and  to  the  other  fancy,  yet 
our  members  as  a  rule  have  stood  firm. 

Skepticism  to  be  Ig-nored. 

Persons  say  to  me,  "  Do  you  not  sometimes  answer 
the  scepticisms  of  the  day  ?  "  I  answer.  No.  They 
do  not  come  in  my  way.  "  Do  not  modern  opinions 
trouble  your  church?"  They  have  not  done  so.  Why? 
because  God  is  there,  and  spiritual  life  in  vigorous  ex- 
ercise does  not  fall  a  victim  to  disease.  A  sfracious 
atmosphere  does  not  agree  with  modern  doubt. 
When  people  fall  into  that  evil  they  go  where  the  thing 
is  indulged,  or  at  least  where  it  is  combated ;  where 
in  some  way  or  other  they  can  develop  their  love  of 
novelty  and  foster  the  notion  of  their  own  wisdom. 
Infidelity,  Socinianism,  and  modern  thought  can  make 
no  headway  where  the  Spirit  is  at  work.  Enchant- 
ment does  not  lie  against  Israel,  and  divination  does 
not  touch  Jacob. 

If  a  church  will  keep  to  truth,  keep  to  God,  and  do 


THE   BEST  WAR-CRT.  276 

its  own  work,  it  can  live  like  a  lamb  in  the  midst  of 
wolves  without  being  torn  in  pieces.  Have  God  with 
you,  and  not  only  the  evil  of  doctrinal  error  but  every 
other  shall  be  kept  far  from  you.  There  was  even  when 
Christ  was  in  the  Church  a  Judas  in  the  midst  of  it ; 
and  even  in  the  apostles'  days  there  were  some  that 
went  out  from  them  because  they  were  not  of  them, 
for  if  they  had  been  of  them  doubtless  they  would 
have  continued  with  them ;  hence  we  may  not  expect 
to  be  without  false  brethren.  But  the  true  safety  of 
the  church  is  not  a  creed,  not  an  enactment  for  ex- 
pelling those  who  violate  the  creed ;  the  presence  of 
God  alone  can  protect  his  people  against  the  cunning 
assaults  of  their  foes. 

Useless  Nonsense. 
Upon  these  words  "  there  is  no  enchantment  against 
Jacob,  no  divination  against  Israel,"  suffer  a  few  sen- 
tences. There  are  still  a  few  foolish  people  in  the 
world  who  believe  in  witchcraft  and  spells,  but  ye,  be- 
loved, if  you  love  the  Lord,  throw  such  nonsense  to  the 
winds.  Do  you  not  hear  people  talk  about  this  being 
lucky  and  that  unlucky?  This  notion  is  heathenish 
and  unchristian.  Never  utter  such  nonsense.  But 
even  if  there  were  such  things  as  witchcraft  and  divi- 
nation, if  this  house  were  full  of  devils  and  the 
air  swarmed  with  invisible  sprites  of  an  evil  sort,  yet 
If  we  be  the  people  of  God,  surely  there  is  no  enchant- 
ment aofainst  us.  Divination  cannot  touch  a  child  of 
God  :  the  evil  one  is  chained.  Wherefore  be  of  good 
courage:  if  Gocl  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us? 


^7Q  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

Further  than  that,  God  gives  to  his  people  the  next 
blessino-  that  is  of  his  so  workino^  amonor  them  as  to  make 
them  a  wonder,  and  cause  outsiders  to  raise  inquiries 
about  them.  **  According  to  this  time  it  shall  be  said 
of  Jacob  and  of  Israel,  What  hath  God  wrought  ? " 
Is  not  that  a  sinorular  thingr  ?  Here  is  Balaam  with 
his  seven  altars,  and  seven  bullocks,  and  seven  rams, 
and  here  is  Balak,  and  they  are  all  going  to  compass 
some  dreadful  evil  against  Israel. 

Signs  and  Wonders. 

The  prophet  is  a  man  of  great  skill  in  the  occult 
arts  :  and  what  does  God  say  ?  In  effect  he  says, — 
From  this  hour  in  which  you  try  to  curse  them  I  will 
bless  them  more  than  ever,  until  I  will  make  them 
say,  and  their  enemies  say,  "What  hath  God  wrought?  " 
Brethren,  there  is  another  question,  "  What  hath  Israel 
wrought?"  I  am  glad  that  Israel's  work  is  not  my 
subject  just  now,  because  I  should  make  a  very 
wretched  sermon  out  of  it;  w^e  have  better  music  in 
the  words,  "  What  hath  God  wrought?  "  Let  me  tell 
not  w^hat  /  have  done,  but  what  God  has  done;  not 
what  human  nature  is,  but  what  God's  nature  is,  and 
what  the  erace  of  God  will  work  in  the  midst  of  his 
people. 

If  God  be  with  us  we  shall  be  signs  and  wonders, 
until  those  about  us  shall  say,  "What  is  this  that  God 
is  doing?  "  Yes,  in  you,  poor  Jacob,  wrestling,  halting 
on  your  thigh,  men  shall  see  marvels  and  cry,  "What 
hath  God  wroug-ht?"  Much  more  shall  it  be  so  with 
you,  my  brother  Israel,  you  who  have  prevailed  and 


THE  BEST   WAR-CRY.  277 

won  the  blessing;  you  are  as  a  prince  with  God,  and 

you    shall    make    men    inquire,    "What   hath    God 

wrought?" 

The  Invincible  Lion. 

When  God  is  with  his  people  he  will  give  them 
power  of  a  destructive  kind.  Do  not  be  frightened 
Here  is  the  text  for  it :  "  Behold,  the  people  shall  rise 
/up  as  a  great  lion,  and  lift  up  himself  as  a  young 
lion  " — that  is,  as  a  lion  in  the  fulness  of  his  vigor, — ■ 
"he  shall  not  lie  down  until  he  eat  of  the  prey,  and 
drink  the  blood  of  the  slain."  God  has  put  into  his 
church,  when  he  is  in  it,  a  most  wonderful  destructive 
power  as  against  spiritual  wickedness. 

A  healthy  church  kills  error,  and  tears  in  pieces 
evil.  Not  so  very  long  ago  our  nation  tolerated  slav- 
ery in  our  colonies.  Philanthropists  endeavored  to 
destroy  slavery ;  but  when  was  it  utterly  abolished  ? 

It  was  when  Wilberforce  roused  the  church  of  God, 
and  when  the  church  of  God  addressed  herself  to  the 
conflict,  then  she  tore  the  evil  thing  to  pieces.  I  have 
been  amused  with  what  Wilberforce  said  the  day  after 
they  passed  the  Act  of  Emancipation.  He  merrily 
said  to  a  friend  when  it  was  all  done,  "  Is  there  not 
something  else  we  can  abolish  ?  "  That  was  said  play- 
fully, but  it  shows  the  spirit  of  the  church  of  God. 
She  lives  in  conflict  and  victory;  her  mission  is  to  de- 
stroy everything  that  is  bad  in  the  land.  See  the  fierce 
devil  of  intemperance,  how  it  devours  men  !  Earnest 
men  have  been  laboring  against  it,  and  they  have  done 
something  for  which  we  are  grateful,  but  if  ever  in- 


278  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

temperance  is  put  down,  it  will  be  when  the  entire 
church  of  God  shall  arouse  herself  to  protest  against 
it.  When  the  strong  lion  rises  up  the  giant  of  drunk- 
enness shall  fall  before  him.  •'  He  shall  not  lie  down 
until  he  eat  of  the  prey,  and  drink  the  blood  of  the 

slain." 

A  Hopeful  Prophecy. 

I  augur  for  the  world  the  best  results  from  a  fully 
aroused  church.  If  God  be  in  her  there  is  no  evil 
which  she  cannot  overcome.  This  crowded  London 
of  ours  sometimes  appals  me, — the  iniquity  which 
reiofns  and  rages  in  the  lower  districts,  the  g-eneral 
indifference  and  the  growing  atheism  of  the  people, — 
these  are  something  terrible ;  but  let  not  the  people 
of  God  be  dismayed.  If  the  Lord  be  in  the  midst  of 
us  we  shall  do  with  this  as  our  sires  have  done  with 
other  evils :  we  shall  rise  up  in  strength,  and  not  lie 
down  till  the  evil  is  destroyed.  For  the  destructions, 
mark  you,  of  God's  people,  are  not  the  destructions 
of  men  and  women ;  they  consist  in  the  overthrow  of 
sin,  the  tearing  in  pieces  of  systems  of  iniquity.  This 
it  is  which  God  shall  help  his  church  to  do,  he  being 
in  the  midst  of  her. 

Once  more :  the  results  of  God's  presence  are  to  be 
seen,  not  only  in  the  context,  but  in  other  matters 
which  we  have  personally  experienced  and  hope  to  ex- 
perience more  fully  still.  Note  them.  When  God  is 
in  a  church  there  is  a  holy  azve  upon  the  hearts  of  his 
people;  there  is  also  childlike  trustfulness  and  hope- 
fulness, and  consequent  courage  and  joy. 


THE   BEST  WAR-CRY.  279 

Delightful  Ordinances. 
When  the  Lord  is  in  the  midst  of  his  people  the  or- 
dinances of  his  house  are  exceeding  sweet ;  baptism 
and  the  Lord's  Supper  become  divinely  painted  pic- 
tures of  our  burial  in  Christ,  and  of  our  life  through 
him ;  the  preaching  of  the  word  drops  as  dew  and 
distils  as  the  rain ;  the  meetings  for  prayer  are  fresh 
and  fervent;  we  want  to  stay  in  them  hour  after  hour, 
we  feel  it  such  a  happy  thing  to  be  there.  The  very 
house  wherein  we  meet  grows  beautiful  to  us ;  we 
love  the  place  where  our  Lord  is  wont  to  meet  with 
us.  Then  work  for  Christ  is  easy,  nay,  delightful ; 
God's  people  never  want  urging  on,  they  are  eager 
for  the  fray  when  the  Lord  is  with  them.  Then,  too, 
suffering  for  Christ  becomes  pleasant,  yea,  any  kind 
of  suffering  is  easily  borne. 

"  I  can  do  all  things,  or  can  bear 
All  sufferings,  if  my  Lord  be  there: 
Sweet  pleasures  mingle  with  the  pains. 
While  his  left  hand  my  head  sustains." 

Then  prayer  grows  abundant  all  over  the  church, 
both  in  private  and  In  public.  Then  life  is  made 
vigorous ;  the  feeblest  becomes  as  David,  and  David 
like  the  angel  of  the  Lord.  Then  love  is  fervent ; 
unity  is  unbroken ;  truth  is  esteemed,  and  the  living 
of  truth  In  the  life  is  sought  after  by  all  the  people  of 
God.  Then  effort  is  successful ;  the  church  enlarges 
the  bounds  of  her  tent,  for  she  breaks  forth  on  the 
right  hand  and  on  the  left.  Then  her  seed  inherits 
the  Gentiles,  and  the  desolate  places  are  inhabited. 
Then  God  gives  unto  her  the  holy  energy  with  which 


280  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

she  vanquishes  nations.  When  God  is  with  her  she 
becomes  Hke  a  sheaf  of  fire  in  the  midst  of  the  stubble, 
and  consumes  her  adversaries  round  about.  *'  Fair  as 
the  moon,  clear  as  the  sun,  and  terrible  as  an  army 
with  banners,''  is  a  church  which  has  God  in  her  midst. 

The  King's  Battle-Cry. 

But  now  notice  one  thing  in  my  text,  and  widi  that 
I  close  this  description.  Where  God  is,  we  are  told, 
^'The  shout  of  a  kiiig  is  among  them!'  What  is  the 
shout  of  a  king  ?  When  great  commanders  are  known 
to  have  come  into  a  camp  what  a  thrill  of  joy  it  causes 
among  their  trusty  warriors !  When  the  soldiers 
have  been  much  dejected  it  has  been  whispered  in 
their  tents — 

*'  The  king  has  come  to  marshal  us, 
All  in  his  armor  dressed," 

and  from  that  moment  every  man  is  cheered  up.  At 
the  sight  of  the  king  as  he  comes  riding  into  the  camp 
the  host  raises  a  orreat  shout.  What  means  it?  It  is 
a  shout  of  loyal  love — they  are  glad  to  welcome  cheir 
leader.     So  it  is  when  we  sing — 

"  The  King  himself  comes  near ;  " 

we  are  all  as  glad  as  glad  can  be.  Those  who  cannot 
come  out  to  see  their  prince,  because  they  are  lying 
on  their  sick  beds  in  hospitals,  clap  their  hands,  while 
even  the  little  children  in  their  mothers'  arms  join  in 
the  general  joy.  '-The  king  is  come,"  say  they,  and 
his  presence  kindles  their  enthusiasm  till  they  make 
the  hills  ring  again. 


THE   BEST   WAR-CRY.  281 

Cromwell  and  Heroes. 

You  know  how  the  stern  Ironsides  felt  when  Crom- 
well came  along- ;  every  man  was  a  hero  when  he  led 
the  way.  They  were  ready  for  any  adventure,  no 
matter  how  difficult,  as  long  as  their  great  chief  was 
there.  That  enthusiasm  which  was  inspired  by  Alex- 
ander, and  by  Napoleon,  and  by  other  great  com- 
manders, is  the  earthly  image  of  the  spiritual  fervor 
felt  by  the  church  when  the  Lord  Jesus  is  in  her  midst. 

What  next?  When  the  King  comes  and  they  have 
received  him  with  enthusiasm,  he  cries,  "  Now  is  the 
hour  of  battle  ;  "  and  at  once  a  shout  goes  up  from  his 
warriors  who  are  easier  for  the  fxorht.  When  a  clan 
of  Highlanders  was  led  to  the  battle  by  their  chief 
he  had  only  to  show  them  the  enemy  and  with  one 
tremendous  shout  they  leaped  upon  them  like  lions. 
It  is  so  with  the  people  of  God.  W^hen  God  is  with  us 
then  are  we  strong,  resolute,  determined.  The  charge 
of  the  servants  of  God  Is  as  the  rush  of  a  hurricane 
against  a  bowing  wall  and  a  tottering  fence.  In  God 
is  our  confidence  of  victory.  With  God  present  no 
man's  heart  fails  him  ;  no  doubt  enters  the  host.  **  Be 
strong,  and  quit  themselves  like  men,"  Is  the  word 
that  Is  passed  round,  for  their  king's  eye  makes  them 
brave  and  the  presence  of  his  majesty  secures  them 
triumph. 

Tlie  Great  Need. 

My  brethren,  let  us  cry  to  God,  entreating  him  to  be 
among  us.  This  It  Is  that  you  want  In  your  Sunday- 
schools,  In  your  mission  halls,  in  your  street  preaching, 


282  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

in  your  tract  distributing;  it  is  this  that  I  want  beyond 
everything  when  I  have  to  speak  to  you  in  this  vast 
house.  If  I  could  hear  the  sound  of  my  Master's  feet 
behind  me  I  would  speak  though  I  were  lying  upon 
the  borders  of  the  grave ;  but  if  God  be  gone  I  am 
bereft  of  power.  What  is  the  use  of  words  without 
the  Spirit  ?  We  might  as  well  mutter  to  the  whistling 
winds  as  preach  to  men  without  the  Lord.  O  God,  if 
thou  be  with  us  then  the  shout  of  a  King  is  among  us, 
but  without  thee  we  pine  away. 

III.  Thirdly,  let  us  look  at  a  very  important  point, 
and  a  very  practical  one  too :  What  can  be  done  for 

THE  SECURING  AND  PRESERVING  OF  THE  PRESENCE  OF  GoD 

WITH  THE  CHURCH  ?  This  is  a  matter  that  would 
require  several  sermons  to  discuss  it  fully ;  but  I  notice 
that  there  is  something'  eveit  in  the  confirmation  of  a 
church  to  secure  this.  God  is  very  tolerant,  and  he 
bears  with  many  mistakes  in  his  servants  and  yet 
blesses  them  ;  but  depend  upon  it,  unless  a  church  is 
formed  at  the  very  outset  upon  scriptural  principles 
and  in  God's  own  way,  sooner  or  later  all  the  mistakes 
of  her  constitution  will  turn  out  to  be  sources  of  weak- 
ness. 

Power  of  the  Bible. 

Christ  loves  to  dwell  in  a  house  which  is  built 
according  to  his  own  plans,  and  not  according  to  the 
whims  and  fancies  of  men.  The  church  ouo^ht  not  to 
set  up  as  her  authority  the  decrees  of  men,  either  living 
or  dead ;  her  ruler  is  Christ.  Associations  formed 
Otherwise  than  according  to  Scripture  must  fail  in  the 


THE   BEST   WAR-CRT. 


283 


lono-  run.  I  wish  Christians  would  beHeve  this.  Chil- 
lino-worth  said,  "  The  Bible,  and  the  Bible  alone,  is  the 
religion  of  Protestants."     That  is  not  true. 

Certain  Protestants  have  tacked  many  other  things 
to  the  Bible  ;  and  they  are  suffering  as  the  result  of 
their  folly,  for  they  cannot  keep  their  church  from 
becoming  formal.  Of  course  they  cannot :  they  have 
admitted  a  little  unhealthy  leaven,  and  it  will  leaven 
the  whole  lump.  The  dry  rot  in  one  part  of  the  house 
will  spread  throughout  the  whole  fabric  sooner  or 
later.  Let  us  be  careful  to  build  on  the  foundation  of 
Christ,  and  then  let  every  man  take  heed  how  he  build 
thereon ;  for  even  if  the  foundation  is  good,  yet  if  he 
build  with  hay  and  stubble  the  fire  will  cause  him 
grievous  loss. 

But  next,  God  will  not  only  dwell  with  a  church 
which  is  /u/l  of  life.  The  living  God  will  not  inhabit 
a  dead  church.  Hence  the  necessity  of  having  really 
regenerated  people  as  members  of  the  church.  We 
cannot  secure  this  in  every  case  with  all  our  watching; 
tares  will  Qrrow  amonor  the  wheat.  But  if  the  admis- 
sion  of  unregenerate  men  is  usual,  and  there  are  no 
restrictions,  then  the  Lord  will  be  grieved  and  leave 
us.  God  dwelleth  not  in  temples  made  with  hands; 
He  has  nothing  to  do  with  bricks  and  mortar;  He 
dwells  in  living  souls.  Remember  that  text :  "  God  is 
not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living,"  and  it 
bears  this  sense  among  others,  that  He  is  not  the  God 
of  a  church  made  up  of  unconverted  people.     Oh  that 


284  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

we  may  all  live  unto  God,  and  may  that  life  be  past 
all  question. 

Helpless  Paralysis. 

That  being  supposed,  we  next  notice  that  to  have 
God  among  us  we  must  be  full  of  faith.  Unbelief 
gives  forth  such  a  noxious  vapor  that  Jesus  Himself 
could  not  stop  where  it  was.  His  strength  was  para- 
lyzed ;  "  He  could  not  do  mighty  works  there  because 
of  their  unbelief."  Faith  creates  an  atmosphere  in 
which  the  Spirit  of  God  can  work.  Meanwhile  the 
Spirit  of  God  Himself  creates  that  faith,  so  that  it  is 
all  of  His  own  workinsf  from  first  to  last.  Brothers, 
sisters,  do  you  believe  your  God  ?  Do  you  believe  up 
to  the  hilt?  Alas!  too  many  only  believe  a  little. 
But  do  you  believe  His  every  word  ?  Do  you  believe 
His  grandest  promises  ?  Is  he  a  real  God  to  you, 
making  His  words  Into  facts  every  day  of  your  lives? 
If  so,  then  the  Lord  is  among  us  as  in  the  holy  place. 
Faith  builds  a  pavilion  in  which  her  King  delights  to 
sit  enthroned. 

With  that  must  cQWi^  prayer.  Prayer  Is  the  breath 
of  faith.  I  do  not  believe  God  will  ever  be  lono-  with 
a  church  that  does  not  pray,  and  I  feel  certain  that 
when  meetings  for  prayer,  when  family  prayer,  when 
private  prayer,  when  any  form  of  prayer  comes  to  be 
at  a  discount,  the  Lord  will  leave  the  people  to  learn 
their  weakness. 

Fervent  Prayer  "Wanted. 

Want  of  prayer  cuts  the  sinews  of  t/ie  church  for 
practical  working;  she  is  lame,  feeble.  Impotent,  if 


THE   BEST  WAR-CRT.  285 

prayer  be  gone.  If  anything  be  the  matter  with  the 
lungs  we  fear  consumption.  Prayer-meetings  are  the 
lungs  of  the  church,  and  anything  the  matter  there 
means  consumption  to  the  church,  or  at  best,  a  gradual 
decline,  attended  widi  general  debility.  Oh,  my 
brothers,  if  we  want  to  have  God  with  us,  pass  the 
watchword  round,  "  Let  us  pray."  Let  us  pray  after 
the  fashion  of  the  widow  who  was  importunate  and 
would  not  be  repulsed  ;  remember,  it  is  written,  "  Men 
ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint."  Where  prayer 
is  fervent  God  is  present. 

Supposing  there  is  this  faith  and  prayer,  we  shall 
also  need  holiness  of  life.  You  know  what  Balaam 
did  when  he  found  he  could  not  curse  the  people. 
Satanic  was  his  advice.  He  bade  the  king  of  Moab 
seduce  the  men  of  Israel  by  the  women  of  Moab  that 
were  fair  to  look  upon.  These  were  to  fascinate  them 
by  their  beauty,  and  then  to  invite  them  to  their  idola- 
trous rites,  which  rites  were  orgies  of  lust ;  he  hoped 
that  the  lewdness  of  the  people  would  grieve  the 
Lord  and  cause  Him  to  leave  them,  and  then  Moab 
could  smite  them.  He  sadly  succeeded. 
Phineas  and  His  Javelin. 

If  it  had  not  been  for  Phineas  who  in  holy  wrath 
drove  his  javelin  right  through  a  man  and  woman  in 
the  very  act  of  sin,  sparing  none  in  the  vehemence  of 
his  zeal,  Israel  had  been  quite  undone.  So  in  a 
church.  The  devil  will  work  hard  to  lead  one  into 
licentiousness,  another  into  drunkenness,  a  third  into 
dishonesty,  and  others  into  worldliness.     If  he   can 


286  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

only  get   the   goodly    Babylonish   garment   and   the 

wedofe  of  g^old  buried  in  an  Achan's  tent,  then  Israel 

will  be  chased  before  her  adversaries,     God  cannot 

dwell  in  an  unclean  church.     A  holy  God  abhors  the 

very  garments  spotted  by  the  flesh.     Be  ye  holy  as 

Christ  is  holy.    Do  not  take  up  with  this  German-silver 

electrotype   holiness,  which   is  so  much   boasted  of 

nowadays. 

A  Dangerous  Delusion. 

Do  not  be  deluded  into  self-righteousness,  but  seek 
after  real  holiness  ;  and  if  you  do  find  it  you  will  never 
boast  about  it:  your  life  will  speak,  but  your  lips  will 
never  dare  to  say,  "  See  how  holy  I  am."  Real  holi- 
ness dwells  with  humility,  and  makes  men  aspire  after 
that  which  yet  lies  beyond  them.  Be  holy,  upright, 
just,  straight,  true,  pure,  chaste,  devout.  God  send  us 
this  behavior,  and  then  we  shall  keep  him  among  us 
as  long-  as  we  live. 

Lastly,  when  we  have  reached  to  that,  let  us  have 
practical  consecration.  God  will  not  dwell  in  a  house 
which  does  not  belong"  to  him.  No,  the  first  thing 
with  any  one  of  us  is  to  answer  this  question  : — Dost 
thou  give  thyself  up  to  Christ,  body,  soul,  and  spirit, 
to  live  for  him  and  to  die  for  him?  Wilt  thou  give 
him  all  that  thou  hast  of  talent  and  ability,  and  sub- 
stance, and  time,  and  life  itself?  Where  there  is  a 
church  made  up  of  consecrated  people,  there  God  will 
remain,  and  there  he  will  make  a  heaven  below,  and 
there  the  shout  of  a  king  shall  be  heard,  and  there 
hb  strength  shall  be  revealed,  and  there  his  glory  shall 


THE   BEST   WAR-CRT.  287 

be  seen  even  as  it  is  beheld  on  high.    The  Lord  send 
us  this,  for  Jesus'  sake.     Amen  and  Amen. 


LECTURE  ON  CANDLES. 

Candles  were  far  more  familiar  objects  in  my  boy- 
hood than  in  these  days  of  gas  and  electricity.  Now, 
fathers  show  their  boys  and  girls  how  to  make  gas  at 
the  end  of  a  tobacco  pipe ;  but  in  my  time  the  greatest 
of  wonders  was  a  lucifer-match.  Our  lights  were  so 
few  that  they  justified  the  wit  who  declared  that  the 
word  "  luxury ''  was  derived  from  lux,  the  Latin  for 
light.  Assuredly,  a  good  light  is  a  high  form  of 
luxury.  I  can  never  forget  the  rushlight,  which  dimly 
illuminated  the  sitting-room  of  the  old  house ;  nor  the 
dips,  which  were  pretty  fair  when  there  were  not  too 
many  of  them  to  the  pound ;  nor  the  mould  candles, 
which  came  out  only  when  there  was  a  party,  or  some 
special  personage  was  expected.  Short  sixes  were 
very  respectable  specimens  of  household  lights.  Com- 
posites have  never  seemed  to  me  to  be  so  good  as  the 
old  sort,  made  of  pure  tallow;  but  I  dare  say  I  may 
be  wrong.  Nevertheless,  I  have  no  liking  for  compo- 
sites in  theology,  but  prefer  the  genuine  article  without 
compromise. 

Once  I  thoughtlessly  hung  a  pound  of  tallow  candles 
on  a  clothes-horse.  This  construction  was  moved 
near  the  fire,  and  the  result  was  a  mass  of  fat  on  the 
floor,  and  the  cottons  of  the  candles  almost  divested 
of  tallow :  a  lesson  to  us  all  not  to  expose  certain 


288  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

things  to  a  great  heat,  lest  we  dissolve  them.  I  fear 
that  many  a  man's  good  resolutions  only  need  the 
ordinary  fire  of  daily  life  to  make  them  melt  away. 
So,  too,  with  fine  professions,  and  the  boastings  of 
perfection  which  abound  In  this  age  of  shams. 

Joke  on  Youngsters. 

In  my  early  days  it  was  a  youthful, joke  to  send  a 
boy  to  the  shop  for  a  pound  of  cotton  rushes.  The 
grocer,  if  of  an  angry  sort,  was  apt  to  make  a  rush 
at  the  lad,  who  thus  appeared  to  mock  him.  It  was 
in  these  times  that  we  heard  the  story  of  the  keeper 
of  the  chandler's-shop,  who  told  her  customers  that 
"  candles  was  riz."  "  Riz  ?  "  said  her  neighbor,  "  every- 
thing is  riz  except  my  wages.  But  why  have  they 
riz?"  "They  tell  me,"  said  the  other,  "that  tallow 
has  gone  up  because  of  the  war  with  Russia."  "  Well," 
repli^ed  the  customer,  "  that  is  a  queer  story.  Have 
they  begun  to  fight  by  candle-light?  "  That  woman 
had  some  inkling  of  the  law  of  supply  and  demand. 
She  may  never  have  read  "Adam  Smith,"  but  it  is  pos- 
sible that  she  was  a  Smith  herself. 

Those  were  the  days  when  a  wit  Is  represented  as 
saying  to  his  tradesman,  "  I  hope  these  candles  will  be 
better  than  the  last."  "I  am  sure  I  don't  know,  sir; 
was  anything  the  matter  with  those  I  sent  you  ? " 
"  Matter  enough,"  replied  the  wit ;  "  they  burned  very 
well  till  they  were  about  half  gone,  and  then  they 
would  burn  no  longer."  The  catch  is  that,  of  course, 
they  burned  shoi^ter. 


LECTUSE   ON   CANDLES. 


289 


The  Candle  Box. 

I  have  here  a  case  for  candles,  a  casket  for  those 
jf  wels  of  light.  Look  well  at  this  curiosity,  ye  dwell- 
ers in  cities ;  for  I  do  not  suppose  that  any  of  you  have 
such  a  piece  of  furniture  in  your  houses.  It  is  a 
candle-box,  well-fashioned  and  neatly  japanned.  Here 
at  the  back  are  two  plates  with  holes  in  them  by  which 
to  hang  up  the  box  against  the  wall.  It  closes  very 
neady,  opens  very  readily,  and  keeps  its  contents  out 
of  harm's  way.  I  can  assure  you  that  I  have  within 
it  a  number  of  the  very  best  candles,  from  the  most 
notable  makers.  Wax,  stearine,  palmadne,  and  so 
forth :  there  could  not  be  a  handsomer  assortment 
than  I  now  exhibit  to  you.  Let  no  one  despise  this 
display :  here  we  have  capacity,  elegance,  preparation, 
and  plenty  of  each. 

But  suppose  that  we  were  in  this  room  without  the 
gas,  and  I  were  simply  to  exhibit  the  candle-box  and 
its  contents,  and  say,  "  Here  is  brilliance  !  You  need 
no  electric  lighting:  this  box  abundantly  suffices  for 
the  enlightenment  of  this  large  assembly!"  You 
would  reply.  "  But  we  see  none  the  better  for  your 
boasted  illumination.  The  candles  are  shut  up  in 
their  box,  and  yield  no  single  beam  of  light."  Herein 
detect  a  resemblance  to  many  a  church.  We  could 
readily  find  communities  of  Christian  people,  who  are 
shut  up  to  themselves,  and  are  without  the  living  fire 
of  the  Spirit  of  God.     What  Is  the  good  of  them  ? 

Dying  of  Respectability. 
This  is  a  very  respectable  candle-box;  is  it  not? 


290  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

It  could  hardly  be  more  respectable.  Even  so,  yonder 
is  a  highly  respectable  congregation !  Very  refined 
and  select!  The  minister  is  a  "man  of  hiofh  culture 
and  advanced  thought."  He  can  confound  a  text  of 
Scripture  with  any  living  man.  He  attracted  at  least 
five  horses  to  his  place  of  preaching  last  Sunday. 
They  say  it  takes  a  great  deal  of  ability  to  draw  a 
horse  to  church !  As  for  his  hearers,  they  are  all  the 
cream  of  the  cream.  Don't  you  know  that  the  doctor, 
and  the  brewer,  and  the  lawyer,  and  the  auctioneer  all 
attend  that  most  honored  sanctuary  ?  What  with  an 
M.  D.,  and  a  D.  D.,  and  an  F.  R.  S.,  two  wealthy  dow- 
agers, a  colonel,  a  county  councilman,  and  a  professor, 
it  is  worth  while  for  a  fellow  to  go  to  that  church  for 
the  sake  of  the  social  distinction  which  it  will  bestow 
upon  him. 

The  people  are  so  very  respectable  that  they  do  not 
know  one  another,  and  never  think  of  shaking  hands. 
They  are  all  so  very  select,  that  they  float  about  in 
distinguished  isolation,  like  so  many  icebergs  in  the 
Atlantic.  The  families  walk  up  the  aisles  with  the 
most  becoming  dignity,  and  they  walk  down  the  aisles 
with  the  most  proper  decorum.  They  can  do  without 
warmth,  brotherly  love,  sympathy,  and  co-operation  ; 
for  their  eminent  "  respectability  "  suffices  for  every 
need.  Of  course,  they  can  do  nothing  more  ;  for  it 
costs  them  all  their  time,  talent,  thought,  and  spare 
cash  to  maintain  their  superior  respectability.  Like 
the  gentleman  with  his  well-brushed  hat,  no  wonder 


LECTURE   ON    CANDLES.  291 

that  they  look  so  superior,  for  they  give  their  whole 

minds  to  it. 

Charmini^  Variety. 

I  see  before  me  quite  an  array  of  candles.  Variety 
IS  charming,  and  number  is  cheering.  The  more  the 
merrier,  and  especially  of  sui:h  reputable  and  notable 
light-givers  as  these.  We  may  consider  that  we  are 
having  quite  an  illumination.  With  so  many  lumin- 
aries we  need  hardly  regret  the  set  of  sun.  But  is  it 
so  ?  I,  for  one,  am  none  the  better  for  these  promis- 
ing lights  ;  are  you  ?  I  put  on  my  spectacles.  But 
there  is  no  improvement.  I  can  see  nothing ;  and  yet 
there  are  candles  enough  and  to  spare  !  There  is  no 
mystery  about  it — the  candles  are  not  lighted ;  and 
until  they  are  lighted  they  cannot  remove  our  dark- 
ness. Grace  is  needed  to  make  gifts  available  for  the 
service  of  God. 

Let  us  look  more  closely  into  our  collection  of 
lights.  Here  is  one  which  I  should  suppose  to  be  an 
archbishop  at  the  least.  This  specimen  is  a  Doctor 
of  Divinity.  These  are  gentry,  and  these  are  mer- 
chants, and  those  are  "  cultured "  individuals  ;  but 
without  the  light  from  on  high  they  are  all  equally 

unserviceable. 

A  Grand  Rushliglit. 

A  poor  converted  lad  in  a  workshop  will  be  of  more 
spiritual  use  than  a  parliament  of  unregenerate  men. 
I  introduce  to  you  a  lighted  rushlight,  and  there  is 
more  to  be  seen  by  this  ignoble  luminary  than  by  all 
the  rest     Litde  ability,  set  on  fire  by  the  light  of  God, 


^92  SERMONS  AND  LECTURES. 

may  produce  greater  results  than  ten  talents  without 
the  divine  power.  "A  living  dog  is  better  than  a 
dead  lion : "  a  zealous  but  illiterate  Christian  may  be 
worth  twenty  lifeless  philosophers. 

Herein  is  great  encouragement,  dear  friends,  that 
if  you  once  get  a  light,  it  will  spread  from  one  to 
another  without  end.  This  one  lighted  candle  would 
suffice  to  set  a  hundred  candles  shining.  It  may  light 
a  much  finer  candle  than  itself. 

Fire  is  one  of  those  things  for  which  there  is  no 
accounting  as  to  what  may  come  of  it.  Its  spread  is 
not  to  be  measured  even  by  leagues  when  it  once  gets 
firm  hold,  and  the  wind  drives  it  on.  Piety  in  a  cottage 
may  enlighten  a  nation.  If  the  church  of  God  were 
reduited  to  one  person,  it  might,  within  an  incredibly 
short  time,  become  a  great  multitude. 

How  One  Light  Kindles  Another. 

There  is  a  true  apostolical  succession  in  the  kingdom 
of  grace.  Office  has  the  pretence  of  it,  but  grace 
gives  the  reality.  At  Mr.  Jay's  Jubilee,  Timothy  East, 
of  Birmingham,  told  how,  by  the  youthful  ministry  of 
William  Jay,  a  thoughtless  youth  was  converted  and 
became  a  minister.  Under  the  preaching  of  that  man, 
Timothy  East  himself  was  led  to  repentance ;  and  then 
by  a  sermon  from  Timothy  East,  John  Williams,  who 
became  the  martyr  of  Erromanga  and  the  apostle  of 
the  South  Sea  Islands,  was  savingly  impressed.  See 
how  the  light  goes  from  Jay  to  another,  from  that 
other  to  East,  from  East  to  Williams,  and  from  Wil- 
liams to  the  savaofes  of  the  Southern  Seas  1 


LECTURE   ON   CANDLES. 


293 


A  family  tree  of  an  equally  interesting  character 
has  been  traced  with  regard  to  books  as  surely  as  with 
livino-  witnesses  for  God.  A  Puritan  tract,  old  and 
torn,  was  lent  by  a  poor  man  to  Baxter's  father.  It 
was  called  Bunny  s  Resolutions.  Through  reading  this 
litde  book,  Richard  Baxter,  afterwards  the  great 
preacher  of  Kidderminster,  received  a  real  change  of 

heart. 

Some  Wonderful  Books. 

Baxter  wrote  The  Saint's  Everlasting  Rest,  which 
was  blessed  to  the  conversion  of  Doddridge.  He 
wrote  The  Rise  and  Progress,  which  was  the  means  of 
the  conversion  of  Legh  Richmond,  and  he  wrote  his 
Dairyman's  Daughter,  which  has  been  translated  into 
more  than  fifty  languages,  and  has  led  to  the  conver- 
sion of  thousands  of  souls.  How  many  of  these  con- 
verted ones  have  in  their  turn  written  books  and  tracts 
which  have  charmed  others  to  Jesus,  eternity  alone 
will  reveal.  We  can  never  see  the  issues  of  our  acts. 
We  may  strike  a  match,  and  from  that  little  flame  a 
street  may  be  lighted. 

Give  a  light  to  your  next  door  neighbor,  and  you 
may  be  taking  the  nearest  way  to  instruct  the  twen- 
tieth century,  or  to  send  the  gospel  to  Chinese  Tartary, 
or  to  overthrow  the  popular  science  fetish  of  the  hour. 
A  spark  from  your  kitchen  candle  may,  in  its  natural 
progression  from  one  to  another,  light  the  last  gener- 
ation of  men  ;  so  the  word  of  the  hour  may  be  the  light 
of  the  age,  by  which  men  may  come  in  muldtudes  to 


294  SERMONS   AND  LECTURES. 

see  their  Saviour  and  Lord.     Let  thy  light  shine,  and 
what  will  come  of  it  thou  shalt  see  hereafter. 

**  I  Saw  a  Light." 

Coming  one  Thursday  in  the  late  autumn  from  an 
engagement  beyond  Dulwich,  my  way  lay  up  to  the 
top  of  the  Heme  Hill  ridge.  I  came  along  the  level 
out  of  which  rises  the  steep  hill  I  had  to  ascend. 
While  I  was  on  the  lower  ground,  riding  in  a  cab,  I 
saw  a  light  before  me,  and  when  I  came  near  the  hill, 
I  marked  that  light  gradually  go  up  the  hill,  leaving  a 
train  of  stars  behind  it.  This  line  of  new-born  stars 
remained  in  the  form  of  one  lamp,  and  then  another, 
and  another.  It  reached  from  the  foot  of  the  hill  to 
its  summit.  I  did  not  see  the  lamplighter.  I  do  not 
know  his  name,  nor  his  age,  nor  his  residence;  but  I 
saw  the  liofhts  which  he  had  kindled,  and  these 
remained  when  he  himself  had  gone  his  way.  As  I 
rode  along  I  tliought  to  myself,  "  How  earnesdy  do  I 
wish  that  my  life  may  be  spent  in  lighting  one  soul 
after  another  with  the  sacred  flame  of  eternal  life  !  I 
would  myself  be  as  much  as  possible  unseen  while  at 
my  work,  and  would  vanish  into  the  eternal  brilliance 
above  when  my  work  is  done." 

The  taper  which  I  hold  in  my  hand  is  in  itself  a  poor 
thing  as  an  illuminator,  but  it  has  created  quite  a 
splendor  in  the  room  by  the  light  which  it  has  com- 
municated to  others.  Andrew  was  not  a  very  great 
personage,  but  he  called  his  brother  Peter,  and  led 
him  to  Jesus,  and  Peter  was  a  host  in  himself.  Never 
mind  how  small  a  taper  you  may  be ;  burn  on,  shine 


LECTURE   ON   CANDLES.  295 

at  your  best,  and  God  bless  you.     You  may  lead  on  to 
grand  results  despite  your  feebleness. 

Uiftknowii  Great  Ones. 

He  that  called  Dr.  John  Owen  is  forgotten :  I 
might  almost  say  was  never  known :  he  was  a  small 
taper — but  what  a  candle  he  lighted  !  Those  holy 
women  who  talked  together  as  they  sat  in  the  sun  at 
Bedford  were  a  blessing  to  John  Bunyan  ;  but  we  know 
not  the  name  of  even  one  of  them.  Everywhere  the 
hidden  ones  are  used  of  the  Lord  as  the  means  of 
lighting  up  those  who  shine  as  stars  in  the  churches. 

In  the  service  of  God  we  find  the  greatest  expansion 
of  our  being.  It  makes  the  dead  man  speak,  and  it 
also  makes  a  single  living  man  spread  himself  over 
a  province.  Our  forefathers  were  fond  of  riddles.  I 
cannot  say  that  they  were  very  witty  ones,  but  there 
was  solidity  in  them.  Here  is  one — What  is  that  of 
which  twenty  could  be  put  into  a  tankard,  and  yet  one 
would  fill  a  barn  ?  Twenty  candles  unlighted  would 
scarce  fill  a  jug  ;  but  one  when  it  is  lighted  will  bene- 
ficially fill  a  barn  with  light,  or  viciously  fill  it  Vv^ith  fire 
and  smoke,  A  man,  what  is  he  ?  A  man  of  God,  what 
is  he  not?  Our  influence  may  enlighten  the  world 
and  shine  far  down  the  ages,  if  the  Holy  Spirit's  fire 
shall  kindle  us. 

The  Wrong  Candlestick. 

Here  is  a  candle  which  has  never  given  any  light 
yet,  and  never  will  as  it  now  is.  Hear  its  reason  for 
not  giving  light !  It  is  so  unfortunate  that  it  cannot 
find  a  proper  candlestick,  in  which  to  stand  upright 


296  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

and  fulfil  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  made.  Let  u^s 
try  to  accommodate  it.  Here  is  a  fine  church  candle- 
stick, and  we  set  our  candle  in  the  socket.  Does  it 
shine  ?  No.  Shall  we  try  a  lower  place  ?  It  does  not 
shine  any  better.  We  will  put  this  candle  in  the  most 
enviable  position — in  this  real  silver  candlestick,  of 
the  most  elaborate  workmanship.  It  does  not  shine 
one  whit  the  more.  Neither  high  nor  low  places  will 
make  a  man  what  he  is  not. 

I  know  persons  who  cannot  get  on  anywhere ;  but, 
according  to  their  own  belief,  the  fault  is  not  in  them- 
selves, but  in  their  surroundings. 

No  Chiirch  Good  Enough  for  him. 

I  could  sketch  you  a  brother  who  is  unable  to  do 
any  good  because  all  the  churches  are  so  faulty.  He 
was  once  with  us,  but  he  came  to  know  us  too  well, 
and  grew  disgusted  with  our  dogmatism  and  want  of 
taste.  He  went  to  the  Independents,  who  have  so 
much  more  culture,  breadth,  and  liberality.  He  grew 
weary  of  what  he  called  "  cold  dignity."  He  wanted 
more  fire,  and  therefore  favored  the  Methodists  with 
his  patronage.  Alas  !  he  did  not  find  them  the  flaming 
zealots  he  had  supposed  them  to  be :  he  very  soon 
outgrew  both  them  and  their  doctrines,  and  joined  our 
most  excellent  friends,  the  Presbyterians.  These 
proved  to  be  by  far  too  high  and  dry  for  him,  and  he 
became  rather  sweet  upon  the  Swedenborgians,  and 
would  have  joined  them  had  not  his  wife  led  him 
among  the  Episcopalians. 

Here  he  might  have  even  grown  into  a  church  war- 


LECTURE   ON   CANDLES.  297 

den ;  but  he  was  not  content ;  and  before  long  I  heard 
that  he  was  an  Exclusive  Brother!  There  I  leave 
him,  hoping  that  he  may  be  better  in  his  new  line  than 
he  has  ever  been  in  the  old  ones.  "The  course  of 
nature  could  no  further  go : "  if  he  has  not  fallen 
among  a  loving,  united  people  now,  where  will  he  find 
them  ?  Yet  I  expect,  that  as  Adam  left  Paradise,  so 
will  he  ultimately  fall  from  his  high  estate. 

A  Rolling-  Stone. 

He  reminds  me  of  a  very  good  man  who  changed 
his  religious  views  so  often,  that  1  once  asked  him, 
"What  are  you  now?"  He  told  me,  and  I  went  on 
my  way ;  but  when  I  met  him  next,  and  made  the  same 
inquiry,  he  was  something  else.  At  our  next  meeting 
my  reverend  brother  was  grieved  because  I  said  to 
him  the  third  time,  "  What  are  you  now  ?  "  He  re- 
proved me  for  it ;  but  when  I  somewhat  impenitently 
repeated  the  query,  and  pressed  it  home,  I  found  that 
he  really  had  entered  another  denomination  since  I 
had  last  seen  him.  What  a  pity  that  the  churches 
should  be  so  bad,  that  .when  a  man  has  gone  the  com- 
plete round  he  finds  none  which  quite  comes  up  to  his 
mark  !  If  some  of  these  brethren  go  on  their  way  to 
heaven  alone,  they  will  increase  the  heaven  below  of 
those  who  are  not  forced  to  put  up  with  them. 

Tile  same  illustration  suggests  to  me  to  ask  you 
whether  you  know  the  young  man  who  cannot  serve 
God  as  an  apprentice,  but  is  iS'oing  to  do  wonders 
when  he  is  out  of  his  time?  Yes,  he  only  wants  to 
be  put  into  another  candlestick.     So  bethinks:  but 


298  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

we  know  better.  When  he  is  out  of  his  time,  and 
has  become  a  journeyman,  he  will  postpone  his  grand 
plans  of  usefulness  till  he  has  started  as  a  master  on 
his  own  account.  Alas  !  when  he  is  a  master,  he  will 
wait  till  he  has  made  money  and  can  retire  from  busi- 
ness. So,  you  see,  the  candle  does  not  shine,  but  it 
imputes  its  failure  to  the  candlesticks !  The  candle- 
sticks are  not  to  be  blamed. 

The  Self-fitting:  Candle. 

Poor  Dick  Miss-the-Mark  believes  that  he  oueht  to 
have  been  Oliver  Cromwell ;  but  as  that  character  is 
hardly  in  season  in  this  year  of  grace,  Richard  is  un- 
able to  be  Cromwell,  and  therefore  he  is  not  himself 
at  all.  That  wart  over  the  eye,  and  other  Cromwel- 
lian  distinctions,  are  a  dead  loss  in  his  case.  He  can- 
not develop  his  genius  for  want  of  a  King  Charles 
and  a  Prince  Rupert.  The  proper  candlestick  is  not 
forthcoming,  and  so  this  fine  candle  cannot  shine. 

Here  is  a  very  simple  affair — Field's  Self-fitting 
Candle  ;  but  it  is  very  handy.  You  see,  owing  to  the 
shape  of  its  lower  end,  the  candle  will  fit  into  any 
candlestick,  whether  it  be  large  or  small.  A  man  of 
this  sort  makes  himself  useful  anywhere.  In  poverty 
he  is  content;  in  wealth  he  is  humble.  Put  him  in  a 
village,  and  he  instructs  the  ignorant;  place  him  in  a 
city,  and  he  seeks  the  fallen.  If  he  can  preach,  he 
will  do  so;  and  if  that  is  beyond  his  capacity,  he  will 
teach  in  the  Sabbath-school.  Like  the  holy  mission- 
ary Brainerd,  if  he  cannot  convert  a  tribe,  he  will, 
even  on  his  dying  bed,  be  willing  to  teach  a  poor  child 


LECTURE  ON   CANDLES.  299 

his  letters.     It  is  a  great  thing  not  only  to  be  able  to 

fit  in  to  all  kinds  of  work,  but  to  cope  with  all  sorts 

of  people. 

Riding  any  Kind  of  a  Horse. 

The  power  of  adaptation  to  high  and  low,  learned 
and  ignorant,  sad  and  frivolous,  is  no  mean  gift.  If, 
like  Nelson,  we  can  lay  our  vessel  side  by  side  with 
the  enemy,  and  come  to  close  quarters  without  de- 
lay, we  shall  do  considerable  execution.  Commend 
me  to  the  man  who  can  avail  himself  of  any  conversa- 
tion, and  any  topic,  to  drive  home  saving  truth  upon 
the  conscience  and  heart.  He  who  can  ride  a  well- 
trained  horse,  properly  saddled,  does  well ;  but  the 
fellow  who  can  leap  upon  the  wild  horse  of  the  prairie, 
and  ride  him  bare-backed,  is  a  genius  indeed.  "All 
things  to  all  men,"  rightly  interpreted,  is  a  motto 
worthy  of  the  great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  and  of 
all  who,  like  him,  would  win  souls  for  Jesus. 

It  is  a  pity  when  a  man  is  too  big  for  his 
position — as  some  candles  are  too  big  to  fit  in 
certain  candlesticks.  Don't  I  know  some  Jacks-in- 
Office  who  are  a  world  too  ereat  to  be  of  the  slightest 
use  to  anybody?  Don't  ask  them  a  question  unless 
you  desire  to  be  eaten  up  alive.  On  the  other  hand, 
It  Is  not  pretty  to  see  a  candle  with  paper  round  it  to 
keep  It  in  its  place ;  nor  is  it  nice  to  see  a  little  man 
padded  out  to  make  him  fill  up  an  important  office. 
Do  Your  Work  Anywhere. 

Some  men  In  prominent  positions  are  like  the  small 
Ley  on  the  high  horse ;  they  need  a  deal  of  holding 


800 


SERMONS   AND   LECTURES, 


on.  Be  fit  for  your  office,  or  find  one  for  wliich  you 
are  fit.  It  is  not  a  very  great  invention  to  make  a 
candle  self-fitting,  but  the  result  is  very  pleasant. 
Though  the  expression,  "  the  right  man  in  the  right 
place,"  is  said  to  be  a  tautology,  I  like  it,  and  I  like 
best  of  all  to  see  it  in  actual  life.  Try  to  fit  yourself 
to  whatever  comes  in  your  way. 

Hearty  service,  rendered  from  pure  motives,  is 
acceptable  to  God,  even  when  persons  of  education 
and  taste  have  just  cause  to  find  fault  with  its  imper- 
fections. If  we  cannot  bear  witness  for  the  gospel  in 
grammatical  language,  we  may  be  thankful  that  we 
can  do  it  at  all,  and  we  may  be  encouraged  by  the 
unquestionable  fact  that  God  blesses  the  most  unpol- 
ished utterances.  When  you  go  tb  do  a  bit  of  car- 
pentering in  the  shed,  and  need  a  light,  you  are  some? 
times  on  the  look-out  for  the  means  of  setting  up  youi 
bit  of  candle  in  a  handy  way.  Here  is  the  greal 
invention  in  which  your  researches  usually  end. 

Curious  Candlestick. 

You  see  I  have  stuck  a  candle  into  a  ofins^er-beer 
bottle,  and  the  light  which  comes  from  it  is  quite  as 
clear  as  if  I  had  a  fine-plated  candlestick.  Here  is  a 
popular  implement,  and  it  is  both  handy  and  cheap. 
Who  would  find  any  fault  with  it  if  he  were  in  the 
dark,  and  wanted  to  find  something  in  a  hurry  ?  If 
you  have  no  fitter  candlestick,  a  ginger-beer  bottle 
does  mightily  well.  How  often  our  Lord  has  used 
men  of  scanty  education,  or  of  none  at  all !  How 
useful  he  has  made  the  things  which  are  despised ! 


LECTURE   ON   CANDLES.  301 

Yet,  at  the  same  time,  if  it  were  left  to  me  to  make 
my  choice  as  to  how  1  would  have  my  candle  set  up, 
I  should  not  object  to  have  it  in  a  more  presentable 
stand.  I  would  not  quarrel  even  if  the  candle  given 
to  me  to  o-o  to  bed  with  were  in  a  silver  candlestick. 

For  use  I  would  sooner  have  a  ginger-beer  botde 
with  a  bright  candle  in  it  than  a  plated  candlestick  with 
a  dead  candle  in  it,  which  I  could  not  light.  Who 
would  object  to  be  rid  of  the  guttering  and  the  hot- 
dropping  tallow,  and  to  handle  a  concern  which  would 
not  dirty  his  hands  ?  A  thing  of  beauty  and  of  bright- 
ness is  a  joy  for  ever. 

That  Fatal  Extingruisher. 

Have  you  ever  heard  of  a  person  who,  in  real 
earnest,  did  the  very  foolish  thing  which  I  am  attempt- 
ing in  pretence  !  I  have  a  candle  here,  and  I  want  to 
light  it.     What  shall  I  do  ? 

Before  me  I  see  a  candle  burning  very  brightly,  and 
I  will  take  a  light  from  it  for  this  other  candle.  I  have 
.  not  succeeded.  How  is  it  that  I  have  altocrether  failed  ? 
I  am  of  a  very  persevering  turn  of  mind;  I  will  give 
it  a  fair  trial.  I  cannot  succeed  in  lighdng  my  candle, 
and  you  are  all  laughing  at  me,  and  you  whisper  that 
1  must  be  over-much  stupid  to  try  to  light  a  candle 
while  an  extinguisher  is  upon  it.     I  subside. 

Do  you  not  think  that  very  many  persons  go  with 
an  extinguisher  on  to  hear  a  minister  preach  ?  Listen 
to  yonder  young  lady: — "Well,  I  will  go  to  hear  him, 
Mary  Anne,  because  you  press  me,  but  I  am  sure  I 
shall  not  like  him."     Is  she  not  very  like  a  candle 


602  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

covered  with  an  extinguisher?  M'^/iy  our  nameless 
friend  does  not  Hke  the  preacher  she  has  not  told  us ; 
but  probably  her  prejudice  will  be  the  more  intense  in 
proportion  as  she  is  unable  to  give  a  reason  for  it. 
Prejudice  is  a  blind  and  deaf  judge,  who  decides  a  case 
before  he  has  seen  or  heard  the  evidence.  "Hano- 
them  first,  and  try  them  afterwards,"  is  one  of  his  sage 
observations.  Remember  the  old  lines  about  unrea- 
sonable dislikes : — 

"I  do  not  like  you,  Dr.  Fell, 
The  reason  why  I  cannot  tell; 
But  this  I  know  and  know  full  well, 
I  do  not  like  you,  Dr.  Fell." 

Just  SO.     That  is  a  very  effective  extinguisher. 

Our  young  lady  friend  showed  the  prejudice  of 
ignorance,  but  there  is  such  a  thing  as  the  prejudice 
of  learning,  and  this  is  a  very  effectual  extinguisher. 
Dr.  Taylor,  of  Norwich,  once  said  that  he  had  read 
the  Bible  through — I  think  it  was  ten  times — and  he 
could  not  anywhere  find  the  Deity  of  Christ  in  it. 
Honest  John  Newton  observed,  "  Yes,  and  if  I  were 
to  try  ten  times  to  li^ht  a  candle  with  an  extino-uishei' 
on  it,  I  should  not  succeed."  Once  make  up  your 
mind  to  refuse  a  doctrine  or  a  command,  and  you  will 
not  see  it  where  God  himself  has  written  it  as  with  a 
sunbeam.  Kick  against  a  truth,  and  the  arguments 
for  it  will  seem  to  have  no  existence.  Let  prejudice 
of  any  sort  wholly  cover  the  candle  of  your  mind,  and, 
whatever  you  do,  there  is  no  likelihood  of  your  re- 
ceiving the  light.  There  are  none  so  deaf  as  those 
who  will  not  hear. 


LECTURE   ON   CANDLES.  303 

Wide-Awake  Hearers. 

The  only  case  in  which  I  am  wilHng  to  bear  with 
prejudice  is  when  a  dishlve  of  me  leads  people  to  watch 
the  more  carefully  what  I  have  to  say.  If  they  will, 
during  a  sermon,  be  wide  awake  that  they  may  find 
fault,  1  will  forgive  their  object  out  of  respect  to  their 
action.  Of  all  devils,  the  worst  is  the  devil  of  slum- 
ber. He  haunts  places  of  worship,  and  it  is  not  easy 
to  chase  him  away,  especially  in  warm  weather.  I 
gready  fear  lest  my  people  should  become  so  used  to 
me,  that,  like  the  miller,  they  can  go  to  sleep  all  the 
easier  for  the  grinding  of  the  wheels — I  mean,  all  the 
quicker  for  the  sound  of  my  voice. 

Butchers,  it  seems,  are  accustomed  to  do  their  work 
with  a  candle  fastened  upon  their  foreheads  in  this 
fashion.  As  I  am  not  one  of  those  gendemen  "who 
kills  his  own,"  you  will  excuse  me  if  I  have  not  man- 
aged the  affair  in  an  orthodox  manner.  There  is  an 
old  story  of  one  who  had  lost  his  candle,  and  travelled 
all  round  his  premises  searching  for  it  by  its  own  light. 
It  is  told  as  a  jest,  and  it  must  have  been  a  mirthful 
incident  where  it  happened.  I  remember  an  old  gen- 
tleman who  could  see  very  litde  without  spectacles, 
but  went  up  and  down  the  house  searching  for  his 
glasses,  looking  through  them  all  the  time. 

The  Candle  on  the  Forehead. 

The  parable  is  this :  a  person  full  of  doubts  and 
fears  about  his  personal  condition  before  God  is  search- 
ing for  grace  within,  by  the  light  of  that  very  grace 
for  which  he  is  looking.     He  is  fearfully  anxious  be- 


304  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

cause  he  can  see  no  trace  of  gracious  anxiety  in  his 
mind.  He  feels  sad  because  he  cannot  feel  sad.  He 
repents  because  he  cannot  repent.  He  has  the  candle 
on  his  forehead,  and  is  seeing  by  the  light  of  it,  and 
yet  he  is  searching  for  that  very  light,  without  which 
he  could  not  search  at  all.  Many  a  time  a  man 
laments  that  he  does  not  feel,  and  all  the  while  he  is 
overwhelmed  with  pain  through  the  impression  that 
he  does  not  feel  pain  as  he  should. 

Some  seem  to  have  a  great  capacity  for  denying  light 
to  their  fellows.  I  have  known  persons  almost  glory 
in  their  reticence  with  their  own  children.  "I  never 
spoke  to  him  about  religion,"  was  the  complacent  con- 
fession of  an  old  professor  as  to  his  son.  Some  of 
these  hide  away  in  the  dark  themselves,  lest  they 
should  be  called  upon  to  work.  A  prospectus  of  a 
Burial  Club  began,  "  Whereas  many  persons  find  it 
difficult  to  bury  themselves.''  Alas  !  to  my  knowledge 
many  persons  bury  themselves  most  easily,  and  one 
of  my  constant  labors  is  to  fetch  them  out  of  the  sep- 
ulchre of  their  indolence.  I  wish  they  would  respond 
to  my  call,  and  not  lie  in  their  coffins  and  grumble  at 
my  disturbing  them.  Again,  dark  lantern,  I  must  turn 
you  on ! 

Here  is  a  candle  which  is  In  a  lantern  of  a  tolerably 
respectable  sort :  at  least,  it  was  respectable  long  ago, 
and  you  might  not  now  have  noticed  its  forlorn  con- 
dition If  It  had  not  been  for  the  candle  within. 

Faults  Show  Themselves. 
So  soon  as  you  place  a  light  within,  the  Imperfections 


LECTURE   ON   CANDLES.  305 

of  the  lantern  are  shown  up ;  and  it  is  the  same  with 
human  characters.  Many  a  man  would  have  seemed 
a  decent  sort  of  fellow  it  he  had  not  professed  to  be 
a  Christian  ;  but  his  open  confession  of  religion  fixed 
many  eyes  upon  him,  and  his  imperfections  were  at 
once  observed  of  all  observers.  He  who  unites  with 
a  church,  and  takes  upon  himself  the  name  of  Christ, 
claims  a  higher  character  than  others ;  and  if  he  is 
not  true  to  his  profession,  his  inconsistency  is  marked; 
and  very  justly  so.  How  often  do  we  see  that  an  un- 
converted man  may  steal  a  horse,  but  a  Christian  must 
not  look  over  the  hedge  at  itl  That  which  is  winked 
at  in  a  man  of  the  world,  is  a  grave  fault  in  a  Chris- 
tian. It  is  no  more  than  natural  and  just  that  great 
professors  should  be  expected  to  be  better  than  oth- 
ers. It  is  inevitable  that  the  very  light  they  have 
should  reveal  their  faults  and  flaws. 

Brethren,  let  us  not  exhibit  our  candle  in  a  dirty 
lantern,  nor  our  religion  in  a  doubtful  character.  I 
have  heard  of  a  minister  who  was  a  capital  preacher, 
but  he  bought  a  wig  of  one  of  his  hearers  and  forgot 
to  pay  for  it.  A  bad  habit  that.  Not  to  pay  at  all  is 
worst  of  all ;  but  even  to  be  long-winded  is  objection- 
able. When  the  barber  came  home  from  the  meeting 
he  said,  "That  \vas  a  beautiful  discourse;  but  his  wig 
spoiled  it.  I  like  his  deep  expositions,  but,  oh,  that 
wig !  Will  he  ever  pay  for  that  wig  ?  "  A  friend  who 
heard  me  tell  this  story  remarked  that  "  the  wig  stuck 
in  the  man's  throat." 

20 


306  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

Jewel  of  Consistency. 

Let  us  pay  for  our  wigs  if  we  wear  such  Inventions, 
and  let  us  see  to  it  that  there  is  nothing  else  about 
our  person  or  character  which  may  bring  the  gospel 
into  discredit.  We  have  heard  of  a  wonderful 
preacher,  of  whom  they  said  that  he  preached  so  well 
and  lived  so  badly,  that  when  he  was  In  the  pulpit 
they  thought  he  ought  never  to  come  out  of  it;  but 
when  he  was  out  of  the  pulpit  they  changed  dielr 
minds,  and  sorrowfully  concluded  that  he  ought  never 
to  go  into  it  again. 

In  the  case  of  this  other  lantern,  little  or  no  light 
would  come  from  it  if  it  were  not  for  Its  cracks  and 
rents.  The  light  passes  through  the  broken  places. 
Do  you  not  think  that  the  sicknesses  and  Infirmities 
of  many  godly  people  have  been  the  making  of  them, 
and  that  the  light  divine  has  gleamed  through  the 
rifts  In  their  tenements  of  clay?  Do  not  light-givers 
sometimes  shine  the  better  for  sickness?  Some  min- 
isters preach  the  better  for  being  afflicted.  Do  not 
wish  your  minister  to  be  111  or  to  be  tried;  but  I  can- 
not doubt  the  fact  that  the  trials  of  ministers  are  the 
best  part  of  their  education.  One  who  was  rather  a 
critic  In  sermons  used  to  ask,  "  Has  the  doctor  been 
111  within  the  last  six  months  ?  For  he  is  not  worth 
hearing  else." 

An  Old  Scotcli  Woman's  Saying-. 

An  old  Scotch  woman  found  that  when  her  minister 
Jost  his  sioht  he  could  not  read  his  dry  old  manu- 
scripts, and  was  therefore  forced  to  preach  cxtempo- 


LECTURE   ON   CANDLES.  80? 

raneously.  Perhaps  she  was  a  little  cruel  when  she 
said,  "Praise  be  to  God.  It  would  have  been  well  if 
he  had  lost  his  sight  twenty  years  ago."  To  her 
mind  the  sermons  were  so  much  better  when  they 
came  forth  from  his  heart  than  when  he  read  them 
from  the  sapless  manuscript,  that  to  her  the  good 
man's  loss  of  sight  was  a  gain.  If,  in  any  way,  you 
are  able  to  tell  out  a  sweeter  experience,  and  so  afford 
greater  comfort  to  others  through  your  body  being 
like  a  broken  lantern,  be  thankful  for  it.  Happy  are 
we  if  our  losses  are  the  stains  of  others.  So  lone  as 
our  soul  shines  out  with  holier  radiance  we  will  glory 
in  infirmities. 

Honored  among  women  be  the  memory  o{  Florence 
Nightingale !  Her  name  and  fame  gave  an  impetus 
to  the  movement  for  trained  nurses,  which  has  been 
so  fraught  with  comfort  to  thousands.  Our  young 
ladies  who  devote  themselves  to  this  sacred  service 
deserve  all  the  encouragement  we  can  give  them. 
God  bless  you,  gentle  night-lights! 

Our  night-light  is  set  in  water  to  make  it  quite  safe. 
We  do  well  to  guard  ourselves  against  the  personal 
dangers  of  our  position:  even  when  doing  good  we 
must  be  on  our  watch  lest  we  fall  into  temptation. 

Night-Liglits. 

Night-lights  are  marked  to  burn  just  so  many  hours, 
and  no  more ;  and  so  are  we.  Long  may  you  each 
one  shine  and  yield  comfort  to  those  around  you  ;  but, 
whether  your  hours  be  few  or  many,  may  you  burn 
steadily  to  the  end !     If  we  may  but  fulfil  our  mission 


508  SERMONS   AND    LECTURES. 

it  will  be  enough.  May  none  of  us  take  fire  in  a  wrong 
way,  blaze  into  a  shameful  notoriety,  fill  the  air  with  an 
ill  savor,  and  then  go  out  in  darkness  ere  half  our 
work  is  done ! 

There  is  room  for  fresh  forms  of  candle  still,  and 
we  should  not  wonder  if  the  article  once  more  became 
the  subject  of  advertising,  as  soap  is  at  present.  In 
other  lands,  as,  for  instance,  on  the  north-west  coast  of 
America,  candles  have  a  singular  originality  about 
them  •  for  there  they  burn  a  fish,  a  species  of  smelt, 
which  grows  nearly  a  foot  long  and  is  full  of  fat. 
We  should  rather  think  the  smelt  smelleth,  when  they 
put  a  rush  or  a  piece  of  bark  down  the  centre  of  him, 
and  make  a  natural  candle  of  him.  The  light  must  be 
rather  fishy ;  but  so  is  everything  else  in  that  region, 
and  therefore  it  does  not  matter  much. 

Fire-flies  and  Glow-worms. 

There  is,  in  China  and  the  East  Indies,  a  candle  fly  ; 
but  though  it  bears  the  name,  we  do  not  suppose  that 
it  serves  the  purpose  of  a  candle.  We  have  heard  of 
reading  by  the  light  of  glow-worms  in  our  hedges,  but 
we  doubt  whether  ordinary  type  could  thus  be  deci- 
phered. Glow-worms  remind  us  of  most  expositors, 
of  whom  Young  says, 

"  The  commetilators  each  dark  passage  shun. 
And  hold  thtir  failing  candles  to  the  sun." 

Fire-flies  might  serve  our  turn  better,  for  they  are  like 
living  lamps.  They  had  a  great  charm  for  us  when  we 
saw  them  for  the  first  time  by  the  Italian  lakes.  The 
night-light  is  a  sober  night-comforter :  may  it  be  long 


LECTURE   ON   CANDLES.  ^^9 

before  any  of  you  learn   its  value  in  long  hours  of 
suffering ! 

Here  is  a  candle  which  is  as  good  as  candle  can 
well  hope  to  be.  The  light  is  clear  and  pure.  Speak- 
ing popularly,  the  candle  is  perfect,  and  is  giving  forth 
a  britrht  light.  Yet,  if  you  knew  it  better,  you  would 
take  another  view  of  it.  It  is  disseminating  black 
smoke  as  well  as  clear  light.  Here  is  a  sheet  of  bright 
tin  plate.  Just  hold  it  over  the  candle,  and  you  will 
see  that  it  is  yielding  something  other  than  light.  Of 
course,  there  will  be  nothing  on  the  bright  tin  but,  that 
which  comes  out  of  the  candle. 

Will  one  of  you  be  so  good  as  to  put  his  finger  on 
this  tin,  and  then  touch  the  tip  of  his  nose  and  his  fore- 
head with  it?  I  cannot  persuade  any  of  you  to  try 
the  effect ;  but  if  you  did  so,  you  would  prove  to  us 
all  that  the  best  of  candles  does  not  yield  unmingled 
light.  I  am  told  that  a  man  may  be  perfect.  Well, 
no  doubt  we  ought  to  be  so,  and  in  the  biblical  sense 
I  hope  many  are  so.  But  if  all  possible  tests  were 
applied  to  them,  a  measure  of  imperfection  would  be 
found  in  the  brightest  of  the  saints.  It  is  as  old  Mas- 
ter Trapp  says,  "We  may  be  perfect,  but  not  perfectly 
perfect."  Grace  makes  us  perfect  after  our  kind; 
but  only  in  glory  will  the  last  remains  of  sin  be  alto- 
gether removed. 

I  should  not  care  to  be  like  this  sheet  of  tin,  used  to 
expose  the  faults  of  others,  when  it  would  be  better  to 
leave  them  unnoticed.  Some  Peeping  Toms  have  the 
gift  of  detecting  the  imperfections  of  good  mea.     I  do 


810  SERMONS  AND   LECTURES. 

not  covet  their  talent.  In  the  process,  these  prying 
folk,  like  this  tin,  grow  very  sooty  themselves.  Do 
not  attempt  to  imitate  them. 

In  the  next  similitude  you  have  a  simpler  reminder 
of  the  imperfections  to  which  men  are  liable.  A  can- 
dle needs  snuffers,  and  men  need  chastisements,  for 
they  are  both  of  them  subject  to  infirmity.  In  the 
temple  of  Solomon  there  were  snuffers  and  snuff- 
dishes  ;  but  they  were  all  of  gold. 

Snuflfers  of  Gold. 

God's  rebukes  are  in  love,  and  so  should  ours  be ; 
holy  reproofs  in  the  spirit  of  affection  are  snuffers  of 
gold.  Never  use  any  other,  and  use  even  these  with 
discretion,  lest  you  put  out  the  flame  which  it  is  your 
aim  to  improve.  Never  reprove  in  anger.  Do  nor 
deal  with  a  small  fault  as  if  it  were  a  great  crime.  If 
you  see  a  fly  on  your  boy's  forehead  don't  try  to  kill 
it  with  a  sledge-hammer,  or  you  may  kill  the  boy  also. 
Do  the  needful  but  very  difficult  work  of  reproof  in 
the  kindest  and  wisest  style,  so  that  the  good  you  aim 
at  may  be  attained. 

It  was  a  shocking  habit  of  bad  boys  to  snuff  the 
candle,  and  then  open  the  snuffers  and  let  the  smoke 
and  the  smell  escape.  The  snuffers  are  made  on  pur- 
pose to  remove  the  snuff,  or  consumed  wick,  and  then 
to  quench  it  by  pressure,  and  prevent  any  offensive 
smoke ;  but  young  urchins  of  a  mischievous  sort 
would  set  the  snuffers  wide,  and  let  the  filthy  smoke 
fill  the  room  with  its  detestable  odor.  So  do  some 
who  hear  of  a  brother's  faults,  make  them  known,  and 


LECTURE   ON   CANDLES.  811 

seem  to  take  pleasure  in  filling  society  with  unsavory 
reports.  I  pray  you,  do  not  so.  If  the  candle  has 
something  wrong  with  it,  touch  it  carefully,  snuff  it 
with  discretion,  and  shut  up  the  obnoxious  matter 
very  carefully. 

Strange  that  the  Secret  Got  Out. 

Let  us  be  silent  about  thinsfs  which  are  a  discredit 
to  Christian  character.  Keep  an  ill  report  secret; 
and  do  not  be  like  the  young  lady  who  called  in  a 
dozen  friends  to  help  her  keep  a  secret,  and  yet,  strange 
to  say,  it  got  out.  Remember,  you  may  yourself  de- 
serve rebuke  one  of  these  days ;  and  as  you  would 
like  this  to  be  done  gently  and  privately,  so  keep  your 
remarks  upon  others  within  the  happy  circle  of  tender 
love.  To  rebuke  in  gentle  love  is  difficult,  but  we 
must  aim  at  It  till  we  grow  proficient.  Golden  snuffers, 
remember ;  only  golden  snuffers.  Put  away  those  old 
rusty  things — those  unkind,  sarcastic  remarks.  They 
will  do  more  harm  than  good,  and  they  are  not  fit 
things  to  be  handled  by  servants  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

See  how  precious  material  runs  to  waste  if  the  light 
is  not  trimmed  !  There  is  a  thief  in  the  candle,  and 
so  it  takes  to  guttering  and  running  away,  instead  of 
yielding  up  its  substance  to  be  used  for  the  light.  It 
is  sad  when  a  Christian  man  has  some  ill  habit,  or 
sinister  aim. 

Wasted  Lives. 

We  have  seen  fine  lives  wasted  through  a  love  of 
wine.  It  never  came  to  actual  drunkenness,  but  it 
lowered  the  man  and  spoiled  his  influence.     So  It  is 


812  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

with  a  hasty  temper,  or  a  proud  manner,  or  a  tendency 
to  find  fault.  How  many  would  be  grandly  useful  but 
for  some  wretched  impediment!  Worldliness  runs 
away  with  many  a  man's  energies  ;  love  of  amuse- 
ment makes  great  gutters  in  his  time  ;  or  fondness  for 
feasts  and  gilded  society  robs  him  of  his  space  for 
service.  With  some,  polidcal  heat  runs  away  with  the 
zeal  which  should  have  been  spent  upon  religion,  and 
in  other  cases  sheer  folly  and  extravagance  cause  a 
terrible  waste  of  energy  which  belonged  to  the  Lord. 
You  see  there  is  fire,  and  there  is  light ;  but  some- 
thing extraneous  and  mischievous  is  at  work,  and  it 
needs  to  be  removed.  If  this  is  your  case,  you  may 
well  desire  the  Lord  to  snuff  you,  however  painful  the 
operation  may  be.  Depend  upon  it,  we  have  no  life- 
force  to  spare,  and  everything  which  lessens  our  con- 
secrated energy  is  a  robbery  of  God. 

Tlie  Sputtering  Caudle. 

Here  is  a  sputtering  candle.  You  can  light  the 
thing,  but  it  seems  to  spit  at  you,  and  crackle  as  if  in 
a  bad  temper.  Never  mind:  it  is  its  pretty  way,  and 
it  will  get  over  it,  and  burn  comfortably  by-and-by. 
We  once  had  among  us  a  good  brother — it  is  years 
ago,  and  he  is  now  beyond  our  censure — he  would 
always  give,  and  give  liberally,  too  ;  but  he  took  the 
money  out  in  grumbling.  He  thought  there  were  too 
many  appeals ;  he  thought  the  thing  ought  to  be  prO' 
vided  for  in  another  way;  he  thought — in  fact  he 
seemed  to  be  full  of  discontented .  thoughts ;  but  he 


LECTURE  ON   CANDLES.  813 

ended  up  by  saying-,  "  There's  my  share  of  it."    It  was 
a  pity,  for  he  was  real  good. 

If  any  of  you  have  the  sputtering-  habit,  I  would 
advise  you  not  to  spend  much  pains  in  cultivating  it: 
it  is  not  pretty,  and  does  not  commend  a  man  to  those 
about  him.  When  a  candle  has  been  so  long  in  the 
cellar  that  it  has  become  thoroughly  damp,  it  is  apt  to 
spit  and  sputter  a  litde  ;  but  there  is  no  reason  why 
you  and  I  should  keep  in  the  cellar,  and  be  sick  of 
the  blues ;  let  us  abide  in  the  sunnier  side  of  the  house, 
and  then  we  shall  burn  and  shine  with  a  happy  cheer- 
fulness. I  hope  we  are  not  cut-on-the-cross,  nor  born 
like  Attila  to  be  "  the  scourge  of  mankind."  I  suppose 
it  needs  all  sorts  of  people  to  make  up  a  world ;  but 
the  fewer  of  the  grizzling,  complaining  sort,  the  better 
for  those  who  have  to  live  with  them. 

Chronic  Growlers. 

Our  sputtering  candle  has  now  got  over  his  weak- 
ness, for  he  has  burned  out  his  damp  bit ;  and  when- 
ever you  and  I  come  to  a  cantankerous  half-hour,  may 
we  get  through  it  as  fast  as  possible,  and  keep  our- 
selves to  ourselves  all  the  time,  that  nobody  may  know 
that  we  have  been  in  the  sulks.  Go  into  your  growl- 
ery,  and  get  it  over :  better  still,  go  into  your  closet 
and  get  it  under. 

We  have  seen  a  courteous  contrivance  at  some 
tobacco  shops  for  giving  a  light  to  passers-by.  It  may 
serve  as  a  suggestion  to  ourselves  for  far  higher  pur- 
poses. If  we  know  the  divine  truth,  let  us  be  ready 
to  communicate  it,  and  by  our  winning  manner  con- 


814  SERMONS  AND   LECTURES. 

stantly  say,  ^''Take  a  lighty  Let  us  be  approachable 
in  reference  to  spiritual  things,  and  we  shall  soon  have 
the  joy  of  seeing  others  taking  a  light  from  us.  We 
know  people  to  whom  no  one  would  ever  speak  in  the 
hour  of  trial ;  as  well  might  they  make  a  pillow  of  a 
thorn-bush.  If  people  to  whom  they  have  never  been 
introduced  were  to  intrude  their  personal  sorrows, 
they  would  be  looked  at  with  one  of  those  searchers 
which  read  you  from  top  to  toe,  and  at  the  same  time 
wither  you  up.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are  faces 
which  are  a  livinof  advertisement  runninof  thus:  Good 
Accommodation  for  Man  and  Grief,  You  are  sure 
of  a  friend  here. 

"Take  a  Light.'* 

Certain  persons  are  like  harbors  of  refuge,  to  which 
every  vessel  will  run  in  distress.  When  you  want  to 
ask  your  way  in  the  street,  you  instinctively  shun  the 
stuck-up  gentleman  of  importance;  and  you  most 
readily  put  the  question  to  the  man  with  the  smiling 
face  and  the  open  countenance.  In  our  church  we 
have  friends  who  seem  to  say  to  everybody,  Take  a 
Light;  may  their  number  be  greatly  multiplied  ! 

It  should  be  a  joy  to  hold  a  candle  to  another.  It 
will  not  waste  our  own  light  to  impart  it.  Yet  holding 
a  candle  to  another  has  a  bitter  meaning,  as  in  these 
lines : — 

*•  Some  say  compared  to  Buononcini 
That  Mynheer  Handel's  but  a  ninny  t 
Others  aver  that  he  to  Handel 
Is  scarcely  fit  to  hold  a  candle." 


LECTURE  ON   CANDLES.  815 

This  candle  is  upside  down,  and  it  cannot  be  long 
before  it  puts  itself  out.  When  in  our  hearts  the  lower 
nature  is  uppermost,  and  the  animal  dominates  the 
spiritual,  the  flame  of  holy  light  cannot  be  long  kept 
alight.  When  the  world  is  uppermost,  and  eternal 
things  have  a  low  place  in  the  heart,  the  sacred  life  is 
in  serious  jeopardy. 

Wiien  the  intellect  crushes  down  the  affections,  the 
soul  is  not  in  an  upright  state.  It  needs  that  matters 
be  quickly  righted,  or  the  worst  consequences  must 
ensue.  Our  prayer  should  rise  to  God  that  this 
happen  not  to  ourselves ;  and  when  we  see  that  It  is 
so  with  others,  we  should  be  full  of  prayerful  concern 
that  they  may  be  turned  by  the  hand  of  God  into  a 
true  and  upright  condition. 

Wasting  the  Tallow. 

Some  men  who  are  not  quite  upright  waste  much  of 
their  influence.  To  such  we  might  apply  the  old  and 
almost  obsolete  word — candle-waster.  It  is  a  pity  to 
lose  life  in  harmful  or  unprofitable  ways. 

Here  is  a  very  important-looking  candle.  Its 
dimensions  are  aldermanic.  You  expect  great 
things  from  so  portly  an  illuminator.  Look  at  the 
size  of  it.  But  when  I  light  it,  the  illuminating  power 
is  very  small.  Can  you  see  any  light  coming  from  it? 
It  is  a  star  of  the  smallest  magnitude.  We  have  here 
the  maximum  of  tallow  and  the  minimum   of  lieht. 

o 

The  fact  is,  that  only  a  litde  of  the  fat  ju.'^t  near  the 
centre  ever  gets  melted.  This  makes  a  littk  well  of 
hot  grease,  but  the  rest  is  as  hard  and  pold  ai;  if  there 


316  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

were  no  burning  wick  in  the  middle.  Thus  it  is  \vlth 
men  of  more  talent  than  heart:  the  chief  part  cf  them 
is  never  used. 

Many  a  great  and  learned  minister,  with  any  quan- 
tity of  Latin  and  Greek  tallow,  is  but  very  lit*:le  useful 
because  his  ability  is  not  touched  by  his  heart.  He 
remains  cold  as  to  the  bulk  of  him.  Many  a  great, 
rich  man,  with  any  amount  of  the  fat  of  wealth,  never 
ofets  warmed  through:  he  is  melted  to  the  extent  of  a 
shillinof  or  two,  but  his  thousands  are  unaffected. 
Partial  consecration  is  a  very  doubtful  thing ;  and  yet 
how  much  we  have  of  it !  What  is  wanted  is  "grace 
more  abundant,"  to  fuse  the  whole  man,  and  make 
every  part  and  parcel  of  him  subservient  to  God's 
great  design  of  light-giving. 

A  Son  of  Thunder. 

The  main  business  is  to  have  plenty  of  heart.  I 
have  noticed  that  speakers  produce  an  effect  upon 
their  audiences  rather  in  proportion  to  their  hearts 
than  their  heads.  I  was  present  at  a  meeting  where 
a  truly  solid  and  instructive  speaker  succeeded  in 
mesmerizing  us  all,  so  that  in  another  half  minute  we 
should  all  have  been  asleep.  His  talk  was  as  good 
as  gold,  and  as  heavy.  He  was  followed  by  a  gentle- 
man who  was  "all  there,"  what  there  w-as  of  him. 
He  was  so  energetic  that  he  broke  a  chair,  and  made 
us  all  draw  in  our  feet,  for  fear  he  should  come  down 
upon  our  corns.  How  the  folks  woke  up!  The  gal- 
leries cheered  him  to  the  echo.  I  do  not  know  what 
it  was  all  about,  and  did  not  know  at  the  time :  but  it 


LECTURE   CN    CANDLES.  317 

was  very  wonderful.  An  express  at  sixty  miles  an 
hour  is  nothing  to  that  orator.  He  swept  past  us  like 
— well,  like  nothing  at  all.  He  meant  it,  and  we  felt 
that  he  deserved  to  be  cheered  for  such  zealous  inten- 
tions. He  was  all  ablaze,  and  we  were  willing  for  a 
season  to  rejoice  in  his  light. 

Powder  Needs   Shot. 

I  do  not  hold  him  up  as  an  example,  for  in  warfare 
we  need  shot  as  well  as  powder ;  but  I  could  not  help 
seeinor  that  a  warm  heart  and  an  energetic  manner 
will  carry  the  day,  where  a  cold  ponderosity  affects 
nothing.  My  friend  was  like  the  cobbler's  candle  with 
two  wicks.  His  blaze  was  very  large  in  proportion  to 
the  material  which  sustained  it. 

In  our  labor  to  do  ^ood  we  must  not  let  our  learn- 
ins:  remain  cold  and  useless.  Dr.  Mantoii  was  one  of 
the  best  of  preachers,  being  both  instructive  and  simple. 
On  one  occasion,  however,  he  preached  before  an 
assembly  of  the  great,  and  he  very  naturally  used  a 
more  learned  style  than  was  his  wont.  He  felt  greatly 
rebuked  wlien  a  poor  man  plucked  him  by  the  gown, 
and  lamented  that,  whereas  he  had  often  been  fed 
under  his  ministry,  there  had  been  nothing  for  him  on 
that  occasion.  The  fire  had  not  been  so  fierce  as  the 
tallow  had  been  cold.  It  is  a  dreadful  thinor  when 
hearers  have  more  use  for  a  dictionary  than  for  a  Bible 
under  a  sermon.  A  preacher  may  pile  books  on  his 
head  and  heart  till  neither  of  them  can  work.  Give 
me  rather  the  enthusiastic  Salvationist  bearing  a  burn- 


818  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

ing  testimony,  than  your  cultured  philosopher  prosing 
with  chill  propriety. 

The  Safety  Lantern. 

Here  is  what  your  wise  aunt  in  the  country  used  to 
give  you  at  night  when  you  went  down  to  the  old  farm- 
house, and  time  had  come  for  bed.  You  said,  "  Aunt, 
what  is  this  cage  for  ?  Is  this  a  mad  candle,  that  it 
needs  to  be  thus  straidy  shut  up?  "  "No,"  she  said, 
"we  have  had  young  people  here  who  have  been  so 
wicked  as  to  read  in  bed,  and  you  know  how  dangerous 
it  is.  Why,  they  might  set  all  the  bed-curtains  alight, 
and  so  the  house  might  take  fire,  and  all  your  uncle's 
ricks  would  soon  be  blazinor  and  soon  the  whole  village 
would  go  like  a  bunch  of  matches. 

"  So  I  put  the  candle  in  a  guard  to  prevent  mischief." 
Still,  after  all  your  aunt's  lucid  explanation,  you  did 
not  like  the  look  of  this  muzzled  candle ;  and  I  should 
not  wonder  if  you  took  it  out  of  its  prison,  and  did  a 
bit  of  reading  by  its  naked  light.  Young  people  are 
so  venturesome!  Now,  it  is  very  proper  to  be  on 
your  guard,  in  what  you  say,  and  what  you  do.  In  all 
companies  it  is  well  to  be  guarded  in  your  behavior. 
But  is  there  not  a  way  of  being  on  your  guard  without 
diminishing  the  light  of  your  cheerfulness  ?  May  you 
not  be  careful  without  being  suspicious  ?  Here  is  just 
as  effectual  a  guard  for  a  candle  as  that  wire  cage ; 
but  it  is  far  more  bright  and  attractive. 

Sugar  Versus  Vineg-ar. 

Let  your  prudence  be  always  mated  to  your  cheer- 
fulness.    Be  on  the  watch,  but  don't  look  as  if  you  had 


LECTURES   ON   CANDLES.  319 

been  drinking  a  quart  of  vinegar.  Guard  against  sin, 
but  do  not  check  everything  that  would  make  hfe 
bright  and  happy.  Don't  put  out  the  candle  for  fear 
of  burninof  down  the  house. 

In  the  matter  of  being  on  your  guard  against  impos- 
tors who  seek  your  charity,  use  common-sense  but  not 
harshness.  I  had  rather  be  taken  in  every  now  and 
then  than  be  always  suspicious.  One  does  not  care  to 
go  about  in  armor  all  day  and  all  night ;  one  is  glad  to 
get  his  head  out  of  the  helmet,  and  lay  it  down  on  a 
pillow.  It  may  be  useful  to  us  to  be  taken  in  some- 
times, that  we  may  see  how  weak  we  are — I  mean  the 
shrewdest  of  us. 

This  second  guard,  so  pleasant  and  bright,  is  my 
ideal.  Here  you  have  care  without  anxiety,  and 
prudence  without  gloom.  Be  it  so  with  us,  that  with 
a  mortal  hatred  to  all  sin,  we  have  a  delight  in  all  that 
is  glad,  and  joyous,  and  pure. 

Here  is  an  hour-olass  and  a  candle.  As  the  hour- 
glass  runs,  and  the  candle  burns,  we  mark  how  the 
time  passes  away.  In  the  old  Puritan  pulpits  there 
used  to  be  an  hour-glass,  and  the  preacher  was  ex- 
pected to  preach  as  long  as  the  sand  of  the  hour-glass 
was  running  ;  which,  of  course,  was  just  an  hour. 

A  Liongr-Avinded  Brother. 

A  witty  preacher,  having    on    one   occasion   only 

reached  to  "Eighteenthly"  when  the  hour-glass  had 

run  out,  and  having  thirty  heads  to  dilate  upon,  turned 

the  machine  over  and  cried,  "  Brethren,  let  us  have 

.another  glass."     When   you  hear  of  the  length  of 


320  SERMONS  AND  LECTURES. 

time  that  your  ancestors  gave  to  hearing  discourses, 
be  ashamed  at  the  grumbhng  about  long  sermons,  and 
do  try  to  take  in  every  scrap  of  the  poor  pennyworth 
which  we  are  allowed  to  give  you  in  three  poor  quar- 
ters of  an  hour.  Whether  we  preach,  or  hear,  time 
is  hasteningf  on.  Our  sands  of  life  will  soon  run  out. 
Just  as  we  are  being  borne  along  irresistibly  every 
moment  as  the  earth  speeds  in  her  orbit,  so  are  we 
being  carried  away  by  the  resistless  course  of  time. 
How  it  flies  to  a  man  of  middle  ag^e  !  How  exceed- 
ingly  fast  to  the  aged !  We  may  say  of  the  hours,  as 
of  the  cherubim,  "  each  one  had  six  wings."  If  every- 
thing is  made  secure  by  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  we 
need  not  wish  it  to  be  otherwise  ;  for  the  faster  time 
passes,  the  sooner  shall  we  be  at  home  with  our  Father 
and  our  God. 

We  feel,  as  we  watch  the  decreasing  candle  and 
the  falling  sand,  that  we,  at  least,  have  no  time  which 
needs  killing.  What  we  have  is  all  too  little  for  our 
high  and  holy  purposes.  We  want  not  cards,  and  dice, 
and  scenic  displays  for  a  pastime  :  our  time  passes  all 
too  rapidly  without  such  aids.  Those  who  kill  time 
will  soon  find  that  time  kills  them,  and  they  would 
gladly  give  worlds,  if  they  had  them,  to  win  back  a 
single  hour.  Remember  the  story  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth's last  moments,  and  take  care  to  spend  each  hour 
as  carefully  as  if  you  had  no  other  hour  to  follow  it 

Burning  the  Candle  at  Both  Ends. 

The  next  illustration  is  a  warning,  and  not  an 
example.     You  have  often  heard  it  said  of  such  and 


LECTURE   ON   CANDLES.  321 

such  a  person,  "  he  is  burning  the  candle  at  both 
ends."  Spendthrifts  waste  both  capital  and  interest ; 
and  by  both  neglecting  business  and  wasting  their 
substance  on  expensive  pleasures,  they  burn  the 
candle  at  both  ends.  The  vicious  not  only  exhaust 
their  daily  strength,  but  they  draw  upon  the  future  of 
their  constitutions,  so  that  when  a  few  years  have  gone 
they  are  old  men  before  their  time.  Beware  of  burn- 
ing the  candle  at  both  ends.  It  will  gc  fast  enough  if 
you  burn  it  only  at  one  end  ;  for  your  stock  of  strength 
and  life  is  very  limited. 

If  there  is  any  one  here  who  is  sinning  on  the  right 
hand  and  on  the  left,  let  him  forbear,  and  not  be  in 
such  fearful  haste  to  endless  ruin.  Let  this  candle 
cast  a  light  upon  the  folly  of  prodigality,  and  may  the 
prodigal  hasten  home  before  his  candle  is  burned  out. 
Did  you  ever  see  a  candle  used  in  that  way?  You  do 
not  live  with  folks  so  mad ;  but  if  you  look  abroad  in 
the  wide  world,  you  may  see  how  thousands  are 
squandered  and  lives  are  cut  short  by  burning  the 
candle  at  both  ends. 

Some  good  people  are  unreasonable  towards  min- 
isters and  evangelists,  and  want  them  to  be  worked 
to  death.  Many  a  valuable  man  of  God  has  been 
lost  to  the  church  by  his  burning  his  candle  at  both 
ends. 

Candle  Meteors. 

This  candle  has  fallen  upon  evil  times.  I  have  a 
bottle  here  full  of  a  black  material,  which  Is  to  fall 
upon  the  flame  of  this  candle.     When  I  tell  you  that 

21 


322  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

this  bottle  contains  a  quantity  of  steel-filings,  you  will 
at  once  prophesy  that  the  light  will  be  put  out. 

Let  us  see  what  will  happen  !  Why,  well,  instead 
of  putting  the  candle  out,  I  am  making  it  disport  itself 
as  candle  never  did  before  !  Here  we  have  fireworks, 
which,  if  they  do  not  quite  rival  those  of  the  Crystal 
Palace,  have  a  splendor  of  their  own.  Do  you  not 
think  that  often  when  Satan  tries  to  throw  dust  upon 
a  Christian  by  slander,  he  only  makes  him  shine  the 
brighter?  He  was  bright  before,  but  now  he  corus- 
cates, and  sends  forth  a  glory  and  a  beauty  which  we 
could  not  have  expected  from  him,  for  it  never  could 
have  come  from  him  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  tempta- 
tions, trials  and  spiritual  difficulties  with  which  he  has 
been  assailed.  God  grant  that  it  may  be  so  with  us 
in  all  time  of  our  tribulation  !  May  we  turn  the  filings 
of  steel  into  flashes  of  light ! 

United  Splendor. 

We  will  conclude  as  they  do  at  open-air  entertain- 
ments— with  the  greatest  display  of  our  fireworks. 

Here  are  many  candles  uniting  their  brilliance ; 
they  all  hang  upon  one  support,  and  shine  by  the 
same  light.  May  they  not  represent  the  church  of 
Christ  in  its  multiplicity,  variety  and  unity  ?  These 
candles  are  all  supported  upon  one  stem,  they  are  all 
giving  forth  the  same  light,  and  yet  they  are  of  all 
manner  of  sorts,  sizes  and  colors.  A  great  way  off 
they  would  seem  to  be  but  one  light.  They  are  many, 
and  yet  but  one.  I  happened  one  evening  to  say  that 
nobody  could  tell  which  was  the  "  U.  P.,"  and  which 


LECTURE   ON   CANDLES.  323 

was  the  Free  Church,  or  which  was  the  Wesleyan,  or 
the  Primitive,  or  the  Salvation  Army,  or  the  Baptists, 
and  so  on  ;  but  one  strong  old  Baptist  assured  me 
that  the  "  Dips  "  gave  the  best  Hght. 

Another  said  the  Presbyterians  were,  on  the  whole, 
cast  in  the  best  mould ;  and  a  third  thought  the  Eng- 
lish Church  was  made  of  the  truest  wax.  I  told  them 
that  some  of  the  Baptists  would  be  the  better  if  they 
had  another  Baptism.  The  Free  Churches  might  be 
none  the  worse  for  being  more  established  in  the 
faith ;  and  even  the  Methodists  might  improve  their 
methods.  The  main  question  is  possession  of  the  one 
light  and  fire  of  God,  the  flame  of  divine  truth.  Those 
who  shine  by  divine  grace  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus. 

What  a  glory  will  there  be  in  the  one  church  when 
all  her  members  shine,  and  all  are  one  !  May  such  a 
day  come  quickly  !     Amen. 

Have  I  not  proved  that  a  world  of  illustration  may 
be  found  in  a  candle  ? 


324  SERMONS  AND   LECTURES. 


LECTURE  TO  STUDENTS  ON  THE  BLIND  EYE  AND  DEAF  EAR. 

Having  often  said  in  this  room  that  a  minister  ought 
to  have  one  bHnd  eye  and  one  deaf  ear,  I  have  excited 
the  curiosity  of  several  brethren,  who  have  requested 
an  explanation ;  for  it  appears  to  them,  as  it  does  also 
to  me,  that  the  keener  eyes  and  ears  we  have  the 
better.  Well,  gentlemen,  since  the  text  is  somewhat 
mysterious,  you  shall  have  the  exegesis  of  it. 

A  part  of  my  meaning  is  expressed  in  plain  lan- 
guage by  Solomon,  in  the  book  of  Ecclesiastes  (vii. 
2i):  "Also  take  no  heed  unto  all  words  that  are 
spoken  ;  lest  thou  hear  thy  servant  curse  thee."  The 
margin  says,  "  Give  not  thy  heart  to  all  words  that  are 
spoken  ; " — do  not  take  them  to  heart  or  let  them 
weigh  with  you,  do  not  notice  them,  or  act  as  if  you 
heard  them.  You  cannot  stop  people's  tongues,  and 
therefore  the  best  thing  is  to  stop  your  own  ears  and 
never  mind  what  is  spoken. 

There  is  a  world  of  idle  chit-chat  abroad,  and  he  who 
takes  note  of  it  will  have  enough  to  do.  He  will  find 
that  even  those  who  live  with  him  are  not  always  sing- 
ing his  praises,  and  that  when  he  has  displeased  his 
most  faithful  servants  they  have,  in  the  heat  of  the 
moment,  spoken  fierce  words  which  it  would  be  better 
for  him  not  to  have  heard.  Who  has  not,  under  tem- 
porary irritation,  said  that  of  another  which  he  has 
afterwards  regretted  ?  It  is  the  part  of  the  generous 
to  treat  passionate  words  as  if  they  had  never  been 


BLIND   EYE   AND   DEAF   EAR.  825 

Uttered.  When  a  man  is  in  an  angry  mood  it  is  wise 
to  walk  away  from  him,  and  leave  off  strife  before  it 
be  meddled  with ;  and  if  we  are  compelled  to  hear 
hasty  language,  we  must  endeavor  to  obliterate  it  from 
the  memory,  and  say  with  David,  "  But  I,  as  a  deaf 
man,  heard  not.  I  was  as  a  man  that  heareth  not,  and 
in  whose  mouth  are  no  reproofs."  Tacitus  describes 
a  wise  man  as  saying  to  one  that  railed  at  him,  "  You 
are  lord  of  your  tongue,  but  I  am  also  master  of  my 
ears  " — you  may  say  what  you  please,  but  I  will  hear 
what  I  choose. 

Village  Gossips. 

We  cannot  shut  our  ears  as  we  do  our  eyes,  for  we 
have  no  ear  lids,  and  yet,  as  we  read  of  him  that 
"  stoppeth  his  ears  from  hearing  of  blood,"  it  is,  no 
doubt,  possible  to  seal  the  portal  of  the  ear  so  that 
nothing  contraband  shall  enter.  We  would  say  of  the 
general  gossip  of  the  village,  and  of  the  unadvised 
words  of  angry  friends — do  not  hear  them,  or  if  you 
must  hear  them,  do  not  lay  them  to  heart,  for  you  also 
have  talked  idly  and  angrily  in  your  day,  and  would 
even  now  be  in  an  awkward  position  if  you  were  called 
to  account  for  every  word  that  you  have  spoken,  even 
about  your  dearest  friend.  Thus  Solomon  argued  as 
he  closed  the  passage  which  we  have  quoted, — > 
"  For  oftentimes  also  thine  own  heart  knoweth  that 
thou  thyself  likewise  hast  cursed  others," 

In  enlarging  upon  my  text,  let  me  say  first, — when 
you  commence  your  ministry  make  up  your  mind  to 
begin  with  a  clean  sheet ;  de  deaf  and  blind  to  the  long 


S26  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

standing  differences  which  may  survive  in  the  church. 
As  soon  as  you  enter  upon  your  pastorate  you  may 
be  waited  upon  by  persons  who  are  anxious  to  secure 
your  adhesion  to  their  side  in  a  family  quarrel  or  church 
dispute ;  be  deaf  and  blind  to  these  people,  and 
assure  them  that  bygones  must  be  bygones  with  you, 
and  that  as  you  have  not  inherited  your  predecessor's 
cupboard  you  do  not  mean  to  eat  his  cold  meat.  If 
any  flagrant  injustice  has  been  done,  be  diligent  to  set 
it  right,  but  if  it  be  a  mere  feud,  bid  the  quarrelsome 
party  cease  from  it,  and  tell  him  once  for  all  that  you 
will  have  nothinor  to  do  with  it. 

o 

People  With  Large  Feet. 

The  answer  of  Gallio  will  almost  suit  you :  "  If  it 
were  a  matter  of  wrong  or  wicked  lewdness,  O  ye 
Jews,  reason  would  that  I  should  bear  with  you ;  but 
if  it  be  a  question  of  words  and  names,  and  vain  jang- 
lings,  look  ye  to  it ;  for  I  will  be  no  judge  of  such 
matters."  When  I  came  to  New  Park  Street  Chapel 
as  a  young  man  from  the  country,  and  was  chosen 
pastor,  I  was  speedily  interviewed  by  a  good  man  who 
had  left  the  church,  having,  as  he  said,  been  "treated 
shamefully."  He  mentioned  the  names  of  half  a  dozen 
persons,  all  prominent  members  of  the  church,  who 
had  behaved  in  a  very  unchristian  manner  to  him,  he, 
poor  innocent  sufferer,  having  been  a  model  of  patience 
and  holiness.  I  learned  his  character  at  once  from 
what  he  said  about  others  (a  mode  of  judging  which 
has  never  misled  me),  and  I  made  up  my  mind  how 
to  act.     I  told  him  that  the  church  had  been  in  a  sadly 


BLIND  EYE   AND  DEAF  EAR.  327 

unsettled  state,  and  that  the  only  way  out  of  the  snarl 
was  for  every  one  to  forget  the  past  and  begin  again. 

He  said  that  the  lapse  of  years  did  not  alter  facts, 
and  I  replied  that  it  would  alter  a  man's  view  of  them 
if  in  that  time  he  had  become  a  wiser  and  better  man. 
However,  I  added,  that  all  the  past  had  gone  away 
with  my  predecessors,  that  he  must  follow  them  to 
their  new  spheres,  and  settle  matters  with  them,  for  I 
would  not  touch  the  affair  with  a  pair  of  tongs.  He 
waxed  somewhat  warm,  but  I  allowed  him  to  radiate 
until  he  was  cool  again,  and  we  shook  hands  and 
parted.  He  was  a  good  man,  but  constructed  upon 
an  uncomfortable  principle,  so  that  he  came  across  the 
path  of  others  in  a  very  awkward  manner  at  times, 
and  if  I  had  gone  into  his  narrative^and  examined  his 
case,  there  would  have  been  no  end  to  the  strife.  I 
am  quite  certain  that,  for  my  own  success,  and  for  the 
prosperity  of  the  church,  I  took  the  wisest  course  by 
applying  my  blind  eye  to  all  disputes  which  dated  pre- 
viously to  my  advent. 

Bribed  by  Flattery. 

It  is  the  extreme  of  unwisdom  for  a  young  man  fresh 
from  college,  or  from  another  charge,  to  suffer  himself 
to  be  earwigged  by  a  clique,  and  to  be  bribed  by 
kindness  and  flattery  to  become  a  partisan,  and  so  to 
ruin  himself  with  one-half  of  his  people.  Know  noth- 
ing of  parties  and  cliques,  but  be  the  pastor  of  all  the 
flock,  and  care  for  all  alike.  Blessed  are  the  peace- 
makers, and  one  sure  way  of  peacemaking  is  to  let  the 
fire  of  contention  alone.     Neither  fan   it,  nor  stir  it, 


328  SERMONS  AND  LECTURES. 

nor  add  fuel  to  it,  but  let  it  go  out  of  itself.  Begin 
your  ministry  with  one  blind  eye  and  one  deaf  ear. 

/  should  recommend  the  use  of  the  same  faculty ,  or 
want  of  faculty y  with  7'egard  to  finance  in  the  matter  of 
your  awn  salary.  There  are  some  occasions,  espe- 
cially in  raising  a  new  church,  when  you  may  have  no 
deacon  wlio  is  qualified  to  manage  that  department, 
and,  therefore,  you  may  feel  called  upon  to  undertake 
it  yourselves.  In  such  a  case  you  are  not  to  be  cen- 
sured— you  ought  even  to  be  commended. 

Many  a  time  also  the  work  would  come  to  an  end 
altogether  if  the  preacher  did  not  act  as  his  own  deacon, 
and  find  supplies  both  temporal  and  spiritual  by  his 
own  exertions.  To  these  exceptional  cases  I  have 
nothing  to  say  but.  that  I  admire  the  struggling  worker 
and  deeply  sympathize  with  him,  for  he  is  over- 
weighted, and  is  apt  to  be  a  less  successful  soldier  for 
his  Lord  because  he  is  entanorled  with  the  affairs  of 
this  life.  In  churches  which  are  well  established,  and 
afford  a  decent  maintenance,  the  minister  will  do  well 
to  supervise  all  things,  but  interfere  with  nothing. 

Preachers  Must  Eat. 

If  deacons  cannot  be  trusted  they  ought  not  to  be 
deacons  at  all,  but  if  they  are  worthy  of  their  ofifice 
they  are  worthy  of  our  confidence.  I  know  that  in- 
stances occur  in  which  they  are  sadly  incompetent, 
and  yet  they  must  be  borne  with,  and  in  such  a  state 
of  things  the  pastor  must  open  the  eye  which  other- 
wise would  have  remained  blind.  Rather  than  the 
management  of  church  funds  should  become  a  scan- 


DLIND   EYE   AND   DEAF   EAR.  329 

dal,  we  must  resolutely  interfere,  but  if  there  is  no 
urorent  call  for  us  to  do  so,  we  had  better  believe  in 
the  division  of  labor,  and  let  deacons  do  their  own 
work. 

We  have  the  same  right  as  other  officers  to  deal 
with  financial  matters  if  we  please,  but  it  will  be  our 
wisdom  as  much  as  possible  to  let  them  alone,  if  oth- 
ers will  manage  them  for  us.  When  the  purse  is 
bare,  the  wife  sickly,  and  the  children  numerous,  the 
preacher  must  speak  if  the  church  does  not  properly 
provide  for  him  ;  but  to  be  constantly  bringing  before 
the  people  requests  for  an  increase  of  income  is  not 
wise.  When  a  minister  is  poorly  remunerated,  and 
he  feels  that  he  is  worth  more,  and  that  the  church 
could  give  him  more,  he  ought  kindly,  boldly  and 
firmly  to  communicate  with  the  deacons  first,  and  if 
they  do  not  take  it  up,  he  should  then  mention  it  to 
the  brethren  in  a  sensible,  business-like  way,  not  as 
craving  a  charity,  but  as  putting  it  to  their  sense  of 
honor,  that  the  "  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  hire."  Let  him 
say  outright  what  he  thinks,  for  there  is  nothing  to  be 
ashamed  of,  but  there  would  be  much  more  cause  for 
shame  if  he  dishonored  himself  and  the  cause  of  God 
by  plunging  into  debt :  let  him  therefore  speak  to  the 
point  in  a  proper  spirit  to  the  proper  persons,  and 
there  end  the  matter,  and  not  resort  to  secret  com- 
plaining. 

A  Shrewd  Kind  of  Faith. 

Faith  in  God  should  tone  down  our  concern  about 
temporalities,  and  enable  us  to  practice  what  we  preach, 


830  SERMONS  AND  LECTURES. 

namely — "Take  no  thought,  saying-,  What  shall  we 
eat  ?  or,  What  shall  we  drink  ?  or,  Wherewithal  shall 
we  be  clothed?  for  your  heavenly  Father  knoweth 
that  ye  have  need  of  all  these  things."  Some  who 
have  pretended  to  live  by  faith  have  had  a  very  shrewd 
way  of  drawing  out  donations  by  turns  of  the  indirect 
corkscrew,  but  you  will  either  ask  plainly,  like  men, 
or  you  will  leave  it  to  the  Christian  feeling  of  your 
people,  and  turn  to  the  items  and  modes  of  church 
finance  a  blind  eye  and  a  deaf  ear. 

The  blind  eye  and  the  deaf  ear  will  come  in  exceed- 
ingly well  in  connection  with  the  gossips  of  the  place. 
Every  church,  and,  for  the  matter  of  that,  every  vil- 
lage and  family,  is  plagued  with  certain  Mrs.  Grundys, 
who  drink  tea  and  talk  vitriol.  They  are  never  quiet, 
but  buzz  around  to  the  great  annoyance  of  those  who 
are  devout  and  practical.  No  one  needs  to  look  far 
for  perpetual  motion,  he  has  only  to  watch  their 
tongues. 

The  Minister's  Wife's  Bonnet. 

At  tea  meetings,  Dorcas  meetings  and  other  gath- 
erings, they  practise  vivisection  upon  the  characters  of 
their  neighbors,  and  of  course  they  are  eager  to  try 
their  knives  upon  the  minister,  the  minister's  wife,  the 
minister's  children,  the  minister's  wife's  bonnet,  the 
dress  of  the  minister's  daughter,  and  how  many  new 
ribbons  she  has  worn  for  the  last  six  months,  and  so 
on  ad  infinitum.  There  are  also  certain  persons  who 
are  never  so  happy  as  when  they  are  "  grieved  to  the 
heart"  to  have  to  tell  the  minister  that  Mr.  A.  is  a 


BLIND   EYE   AND   DEAF  EAR.  331 

snake  in  the  grass,  that  he  is  quite  mistaken  In  think- 
ing so  well  of  Messrs.  B.  and  C,  and  that  they  have 
heard  quite  "  promiscuously  "  that  Mr.  D.  and  his  wife 
are  badly  matched. 

Then  follows  a  long  string  about  Mrs.  E.,  who  says 
that  she  and  Mrs.  F.  overheard  Mrs.  G.  say  to  Mrs. 
H.  that  Mrs.  J.  should  say  that  Mr.  K.  and  Miss  L. 
were  going  to  move  from  the  chapel  and  hear  Mr.  M., 
and  all  because  of  what  old  N.  said  to  young  O.  about 
that  Miss  P.  Never  listen  to  such  people.  Do  as 
Nelson  did  when  he  put  his  blind  eye  to  the  telescope 
and  declared  that  he  did  not  see  the  signal,  and  there- 
fore would  go  on  with  the  battle. 

Busy  Mrs.  Grundy. 

Let  the  creatures  buzz,  and  do  not  even  hear  them, 
unless  indeed  they  buzz  so  much  concerning  one  per- 
son that  the  matter  threatens  to  be  serious ;  then  it 
will  be  well  to  bring  them  to  book  and  talk  in  sober 
earnestness  to  them.  Assure  them  that  you  are 
obliged  to  have  facts  definitely  before  you,  that  your 
memory  is  not  very  tenacious,  that  you  have  many 
things  to  think  of,  that  you  are  always  afraid  of  mak- 
ing any  mistake  in  such  matters,  and  that- if  they  would 
be  good  enough  to  write  down  what  they  have  to  say 
the  case  would  be  more  fully  before  you,  and  you  could 
give  more  time  to  its  consideration.  Mrs.  Grundy  will 
not  do  that ;  she  has  a  great  objection  to  making  clear 
and  definite  statements  ;  she  prefers  talking  at  random. 

I  heartily  wish  that  by  any  process  we  could  put 
down  gossip,  but  I  suppose  that  it  will  never  be  done  so 


332  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

long  as  the  human  race  continues  what  it  is,  for  James 
tells  us  that  "  every  kind  of  beasts,  and  of  birds,  and 
of  serpents,  and  of  things  in  the  sea,  is  tamed  and  hath 
been  tamed  of  mankind ;  but  the  tongue  can  no  man 
tame ;  it  is  an  unruly  evil,  full  of  deadly  poison." 
What  can't  be  cured  must  be  endured,  and  the  best 
way  of  enduring  it  is  not  to  listen  to  it.  Over  one  of 
our  old  castles  a  former  owner  has  inscribed  these 

lines — 

They  say. 

What  do  they  say  ? 

Let  them  say. 
Thin-skinned  persons  should  learn  this  motto  by  heart. 
The  talk  of  the  village  is  never  worthy  of  notice,  and 
you  should  never  take  any  interest  in  it  except  to 
mourn  over  the  malice  and  heartlessness  of  which  it  is 
too  often  the  indicator. 

Killing  a  Duck  for  a  Feather. 
Mayow  in  his  "  Plain  Preaching  "  very  forcibly  says, 
"If  you  were  to  see  a  woman  killing  a  farmer's  ducks 
and  geese,  for  the  sake  of  having  one  of  the  feathers, 
you  would  see  a  person  acting  as  we  do  when  we 
speak  evil  of  any  one,  for  the  sake  of  the  pleasure  we 
feel  in  evil  speaking.  For  the  pleasure  we  feel  is  not 
worth  a  single  feather,  and  the  pain  we  give  is  often 
greater  than  a  man  feels  at  the  loss  of  his  property." 
Insert  a  remark  of  this  kind  now  and  then  in  a  sermon, 
when  there  is  no  special  gossip  abroad,  and  it  may  be 
of  some  benefit  to  the  more  sensible  :  I  quite  despair 
of  the  rest. 


BLIND   EYE   AND  DEAF   EAR.  333 

Above  all,  never  join  in  tale-bearing  yourself,  and 
beg  your  wife  to  abstain  from  it  also.  Some  men  are 
too  talkative  by  half,  and  remind  me  of  the  young 
man  who  was  sent  to  Socrates  to  learn  oratory.  On 
being  introduced  to  the  philosopher  he  talked  so 
incessantly  that  Socrates  asked  for  double  fees.  "Why 
charge  me  double  ? "  said  the  young  fellow.  "  Because," 
said  the  orator,  "  I  must  teach  you  two  sciences :  the 
one  how  to  hold  your  tongue  and  the  other  how  to 
speak."  The  first  science  is  the  more  difficult,  but 
aim  at  proficiency  in  it,  or  you  will  suffer  greatly,  and 
create  trouble  without  end. 

Avoid  with  your  whole  soul  that  spirit  of  suspicion 
which  sours  some  men's  lives,  and  to  all  things  from 
which  you  might  harshly  draw  an  unkind  inference  turn 
a  blind  eye  aiid  a  deaf  ear.  Suspicion  makes  a  man  a 
torment  to  himself  and  a  spy  towards  others.  Once 
begin  to  suspect  and  causes  for  distrust  will  multiply 
around  you,  and  your  very  suspiciousness  will  create 
the  major  part  of  them.  Many  a  friend  has  been 
transformed  into  an  enemy  by  being  suspected. 

People  who  are  Suspicious. 

Do  not,  therefore,  look  about  you  with  the  eyes  of 
mistrust,  nor  listen  as  an  eaves-dropper  with  the  quick 
ear  of  fear.  To  go  about  the  congregation  ferreting 
out  disaffection,  like  a  game-keeper  after  rabbits,  is  a 
mean  employment  and  is  generally  rewarded  most 
sorrowfully.  Lord  Bacon  wisely  advises  "  the  provi- 
dent stay  of  inquiry  of  that  which  we  would  be  loath 
to  find."     When  nothing  is  to  be  discovered  which  will 


334  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

help  us  to  love  others  we  had  better  cease  from  the 
inquiry,  for  we  may  drag  to  light  that  which  may  be 
the  commencement  of  years  of  contention. 

I  am  not,  of  course,  referring  to  cases  requiring  dis- 
cipline, which  must  be  thoroughly  investigated  and 
boldly  dealt  with,  but  I  have  upon  my  mind  mere  per- 
sonal matters  where  the  main  sufferer  is  yourself; 
here  it  is  always  best  not  to  know,  nor  wish  to  know, 
what  is  being  said  about  you,  either  by  friends  or  foes. 
Those  who  praise  us  are  probably  as  much  mistaken 
as  those  who  abuse  us,  and  the  one  may  be  regarded 
as  a  set  off  to  the  other,  if  indeed  it  be  worth  while 
taking  any  account  at  all  of  man's  judgment.  If  we 
have  the  approbation  of  our  God,  certified  by  a  placid 
conscience,  we  can  afford  to  be  indifferent  to  the 
opinions  of  our  fellow-men,  whether  they  commend  or 
condemn.  If  we  cannot  reach  this  point  we  are  babes 
and  not  men. 

Angry  at  Honest  Criticism. 

Some  are  childishly  anxious  to  know  their  friend's 
opinion  of  them,  and  if  it  contains  the  smallest 
element  of  dissent  or  censure,  they  regard  him  as  an 
enemy  forthwith.  Surely  we  are  not  popes,  and  do 
not  -wish  our  hearers  to  regard  us  as  infallible !  We 
have  known  men  become  quite  enraged  at  a  perfectly 
fair  and  reasonable  remark,  and  regard  an  honest  friend 
as  an  opponent  who  delighted  to  find  fault ;  this  mis- 
representation on  the  one  side  has  soon  produced  heat 
on  the  other,  and  strife  has  ensued.  How  much  bet- 
ter is  gentle  forbearance !     You  must  be  able  to  bear 


BLIND  EYE  AND  DEAF   EAR. 


335 


criticism,  or  you  are  not  fit  to  be  at  the  head  of  a 
congregation  ;  and  you  must  let  the  critic  go  without 
reckoning  him  among  your  deadly  foes,  or  you  will 
prove  yourself  a  mere  weakling. 

It  is  wisest  always  to  show  double  kindness  where 
you  have  been  severely  handled  by  one  who  thought 
it  his  duty  to  do  so,  for  he  is  probably  an  honest  man 
and  worth  winning.  He  who  in  your  early  days  hardly 
thinks  you  fit  for  the  pastorate  may  yet  become  your 
firmest  defender  if  he  sees  that  you  grow  in  grace, 
advance  in  qualification  for  the  work ;  do  not,  there- 
fore, regard  him  as  a  foe  for  truthfully  expressing  his 
doubts ;  does  not  your  own  heart  confess  that  his  fears 
were  not  altogether  groundless  ?  Turn  your  deaf  ear 
to  what  you  judge  to  be  his  harsh  criticism,  and  en- 
deavor to  preach  better. 

Uneasy  Hearers. 

Persons  from  love  of  change,  from  pique,  from  ad- 
vance in  their  tastes,  and  other  causes,  may  become 
uneasy  under  our  ministry,  and  it  is  well  for  us  to 
know  nothing  about  it.  Perceiving  the  danger,  we 
must  not  betray  our  discovery,  but  bestir  ourselves  to 
improve  our  sermons,  hoping  that  the  good  people 
will  be  better  fed  and  forget  their  dissatisfaction.  If 
they  are  truly  gracious  persons,  the  incipient  evil  will 
pass  away,  and  no  real  discontent  will  arise,  or  if  it 
does  you  must  not  provoke  it  by  suspecting  it. 

Where  I  have  known  that  there  existed  a  measure 
of  disaffection  to  myself,  I  have  not  recognized  it, 
unless  it  has  been  forced  upon  me,  but  have,  on  the 


336  SERMONS  AND   LECTURES. 

contrary,  acted  towards  the  opposing  person  with  all 
the  more  courtesy  and  friendliness,  and  I  have  never 
heard  any  more  of  the  matter.  If  I  had  treated  the 
good  man  as  an  opponent,  he  would  have  done  his 
best  to  take  the  part  assigned  him,  and  carry  it  out  to 
his  own  credit :  but  I  felt  that  he  was  a  Christian  man, 
and  had  a  right  to  dislike  me  if  he  thought  fit,  and  that 
if  he  did  so  I  ought  not  to  think  unkindly  of  him  ;  and 
therefore  I  treated  him  as  one  who  was  a  friend  to  my 
Lord,  if  not  to  me,  gave  him  some  work  to  do  which 
implied  confidence  in  him,  made  him  feel  at  home,  and 
by  degrees  won  him  to  be  an  attached  friend  as  well 
as  a  fellow-worker. 

Out  at  the  Elbows, 

The  best  of  people  are  sometimes  out  at  elbows  and 
say  unkind  things ;  we  should  be  glad  if  our  friends 
could  quite  forget  what  we  said  when  we  were  peev- 
ish and  irritable,  and  it  will  be  Christlike  to  act  towards 
others  in  this  matter  as  we  would  wish  them  to  do 
towards  us.  Never  make  a  brother  remember  that 
he  once  uttered  a  hard  speech  in  reference  to  yourself. 
If  you  see  him  in  a  happier  mood,  do  not  mention  the 
former  painful  occasion ;  if  he  be  a  man  of  right  spirit 
he  will  in  future  be  unwilling  to  vex  a  pastor  who  has 
treated  him  so  generously,  and  if  he  be  a  mere  boor 
it  is  a  pity  to  hold  any  argument  with  him,  and  there? 
fore  the  past  had  better  go  by  default. 

It  would  be  better  to  be  deceived  a  hundred  times 
than  to  live  a  life  of  suspicion.  It  is  intolerable.  The 
miser  who  traverses  his  chamber  at  midnight  and  hears 


BLIND   EYE   AND  DEAF   EAR.  337 

a  burglar  in  every  falling  leaf  Is  not  more  wretched 
than  the  minister  who  believes  that  plots  are  hatching 
against  him,  and  that  reports  to  his  disadvantage  are 
being  spread. 

1  remember  a  brother  who  believed  that  he  was 
being  poisoned,  and  was  persuaded  that  even  the  seat 
he  sat  upon  and  the  clothes  he  wore  had,  by  some 
subtle  chemistry,  become  saturated  with  death ;  his 
life  was  one  perpetual  scare,  and  such  is  the  existence 
of  a  minister  when  he  mistrusts  all  around  him.  Nor 
is  suspicion  merely  a  source  of  disquietude,  it  is  a 
moral  evil,  and  injures  the  character  of  the  man  who 
harbors  it. 

Human  Spiders. 

Suspicion  in  kings  creates  tyranny,  in  husbands 
jealousy,  and  in  ministers  bitterness  ;  such  bitterness 
as  in  spirit  dissolves  all  the  ties  of  the  pastoral  relation, 
eating  like  a  corrosive  acid  into  the  very  soul  of  the 
office  and  making  it  a  curse  rather  than  a  blessing. 
When  once  this  terrible  evil  has  curdled  all  the  milk 
of  human  kindness  in  a  man's  bosom,  he  becomes 
more  fit  for  the  detective  force  than  for  the  ministry; 
like  a  spider,  he  begins  to  cast  out  his  lines,  and 
fashions  a  web  of  tremulous  threads,  all  of  which  lead 
up  to  himself  and  warn  him  of  the  least  touch  of  even 
the  tiniest  midofe. 

There  he  sits  in  the  centre,  a  mass  of  sensation,  all 
nerves  and  raw  wounds,  excitable  and  excited,  a  self- 
immolated  martyr  drawing  the  blazing  fagots  about 
him,  and  apparently  anxious  to  be  burned.     The  most 


338  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

faithful  friend  is  unsafe  under  such  conditions.  The 
most  careful  avoidance  of  offence  will  not  secure 
immunity  from  mistrust,  but  will  probably  be  construed 
into  cunning  and  cowardice.  Society  is  almost  as 
much  in  danger  from  a  suspecting  man  as  from  a  mad 
dog,  for  he  snaps  on  all  sides  without  reason,  and 
scatters  right  and  left  the  foam  of  his  madness.  It  is 
vain  to  reason  wkh  the  victim  of  this  folly,  for  with 
perverse  ingenult)^  he  turns  ever)-  argument  the  wrong 
way,  and  makes  your  plea  for  confidence  another 
reason  for  mistrust. 

It  is  sad  that  he  cannot  see  the  iniquity  of  his  ground- 
less censure  of  others,  especially  of  those  v/ho  have 
been  his  best  friends  and  the  firmest  upholders  of  the 
cause  of  Christ. 

"  I  would  not  wrong 
Virtue  so  tried  by  the  least  shade  of  doubt ; 
Undue  suspicion  is  more  abject  baseness 
Even  than  the  guilt  suspected." 

No  one  ought  to  be  made  an  offender  for  a  word  ;  but, 

when  suspicion  rules,  even  silence  becomes  a  crime. 

Brethren,   shun  this  vice  by  renouncing  the  love  of 

self.    Tudo-e  it  to  be  a  small  matter  what  men  think  or 

say  of  you,  and  care  only  for  their  treatment  of  your 

Lord. 

How  to  Treat  Busybodies. 

If  you  are  naturally  sensitive  do  not  indulge  the 
weakness,  nor  allow  others  to  play  upon  it.  Would 
it  not  be  a  great  degradation  of  your  office  if  you  were 
to  keep  an  army  of  spies  in  your  pay  to  collect  in- 
formation as  to  all  that  your  people  said  of  you  ?     And 


BLIND   EYE   AND   DEAF   EAR.  339 

yet  it  amounts  to  this  if  you  allow  certain  busybodies 
to  bring  you  all  the  gossip  of  the  place.  Drive  the 
creatures  away.  Abhor  those  mischief-making,  tat- 
tling hand-maidens  of  strife.  Those  who  will  fetch 
will  carr}',  and  no  doubt  the  gossips  go  from  your 
house  and  report  every  observation  which  falls  from 
your  lips,  with  plenty  of  garnishing  of  their  own. 

Remember  that,  as  the  receiver  is  as  bad  as  the 
thief,  so  the  hearer  of  scandal  is  a  sharer  in  the  guilt 
of  it.  If  there  were  no  listening  ears  there  would  be 
no  tale-bearing  tongues.  While  you  are  a  buyer  of 
ill  wares  the  demand  will  create  the  supply,  and  the 
factories  of  falsehood  will  be  workinor  full  time.  No 
one  wishes  to  become  a  creator  of  lies,  and  yet  he 
who  hears  slanders  with  pleasure  and  believes  them 
with  readiness  will  hatch  many  a  brood  into  active  life. 

Solomon  says,  "A  whisper  separateth  chief  friends." 
(Prov.  xvi.  28.)  Insinuations  are  thrown  out  and 
jealousies  aroused  till  "  mutual  coolness  ensues,  and 
neither  can  understand  why  ;  each  wonders  what  can 
possibly  be  the  cause.  Thus  the  firmest,  the  longest, 
the  warmest,  and  most  confiding  attachments,  the 
sources  of  life's  sweetest  joys,  are  broken  up  perhaps 
for  ever."  This  is  work  worthy  of  the  arch-fiend  him- 
self, but  it  could  never  be  done  if  men  lived  out  of  the 
atmosphere  of  suspicion. 

3IischieTous  Scandal-Mongers. 

As  it  is  the  world  is  full  of  sorrow  through  this 
cause,  a  sorrow  as  sharp  as  it  is  superfluous.  This  is 
grievous  indeed.     Campbell  eloquently  remarks, "  The 


340  SERMONS    AND    LECTURES. 

ruins  of  old  friendships  are  a  more  melancholy  spec- 
tacle to  me  than  those  of  desolated  palaces.  They 
exhibit  the  heart,  which  was  once  lighted  up  with  joy, 
all  damp  and  deserted,  and  haunted  by  those  birds  of 
ill-omen  that  nestle  in  ruins."  O  suspicion,  what 
desolations  thou  hast  made  in  the  earth ! 

Learn  to  disbelieve  those  who  have  no  faith  in  their 
brethren.  Suspect  those  who  would  lead  you  to  sus- 
pect others.  A  resolute  unbelief  in  all  the  scandal- 
mongers will  do  much  to  repress  their  mischievous 
energies.  Matthew  Pool,  in  his  Cripplegate  Lecture, 
says :  "  Common  fame  hath  lost  its  reputation  long 
since,  and  I  do  not  know  anything  which  it  hath  done 
in  our  day  to  regain  it;  therefore  it  ought  not  to  be 
credited.  How  few  reports  there  are  of  any  kind 
which,  when  they  come  to  be  examined,  we  do  not 
find  to  be  false !  For  my  part,  I  reckon,  if  I  believe 
one  report  in  twenty,  I  make  a  very  liberal  allowance. 
Especially  distrust  reproaches  and  evil  reports,  because 
these  spread  fastest,  as  being  grateful  to  most  persons 
who  suppose  their  own  reputation  to  be  never  so  well 
grounded  as  when  it  is  built  upon  the  ruins  of  other 
men's.''  Because  the  persons  who  would  render  you 
mistrustful  of  your  friends  are  a  sorry  set,  and  because 
suspicion  is  in  itself  a  wretched  and  tormenting  vice, 
resolve  to  turn  towards  the  whole  business  your  blind 
eye  and  your  deaf  ear. 

Detestable  Eavesdroppers. 

Need  I   say  a  word  or  two  about  the  wisdom  of 
never  hearing  what  was  not  meant  for  you.     The  eaves- 


BLIND   EYE    AND   DEAF   EAR.  341 

dropper  is  a  mean  person,  very  little  if  anything  bet- 
ter than  the  common  informer ;  and  he  who  says  he 
overheard  may  be  considered  to  have  heard  over  and 
above  what  he  should  have  done. 

Jeremy  Taylor  wisely  and  justly  observes,  "  Never 
listen  at  the  door  or  window,  for  besides  that  it  con- 
tains in  it  a  danger  and  a  snare,  it  is  also  invading  my 
neighbor's  privacy,  and  a  laying  that  open,  which  ha 
therefore  encloses  that  it  might  not  be  open."  It  is  a 
well-worn  proverb  that  listeners  seldom  hear  any  good 
of  themselves.  Listening  is  a  sort  of  larceny,  but  the 
goods  stolen  are  never  a  pleasure  to  the  thief.  Infor-. 
mation  obtained  by  clandestine  means  must,  in  all  but 
extreme  cases,  be  more  injury  than  benefit  to  a  cause. 

The  magistrate  may  judge  it  expedient  to  obtain 
evidence  by  such  means,  but  I  cannot  imagine  a  case 
in  which  a  minister  should  do  so.  Ours  Is  a  mission 
of  grace  and  peace ;  we  are  not  prosecutors  who 
search  out  condemnatory  evidence,  but  friends  whose 
love  would  cover  a  multitude  of  offences.  The  peep- 
ing eyes  of  Canaan,  the  son  of  Ham,  shall  never  be 
in  our  employ  ;  we  prefer  the  pious  delicacy  of  Shem 
and  Japhet,  who  went  backward  and  covered  the 
shame  which  the  child  of  evil  had  published  with  glee. 

Do  Not  be  Thin-skinned. 

To  opinions  and  remarks  about  yourself  turn  also  as 
a  general  rule  the  blind  eye  and  the  deaf  ear.  Public 
men  must  expect  public  criticism,  and  as  the  public 
cannot  be  regarded  as  infallible,  public  men  may  expect 
to  be  criticised   In  a  way  which   is  neither  fair  nor 


342  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

pleasant.  To  all  honest  and  just  remarks  we  are 
bound  to  give  due  measure  of  heed,  but  to  the  bitter 
verdict  of  prejudice,  the  frivolous  faultfinding  of  men 
of  fashion,  the  stupid  utterances  of  the  ignorant,  and 
the  fierce  denunciations  of  opponents,  we  may  very 
safely  turn  a  deaf  ear.  We  cannot  expect  those  to 
approve  of  us  whom  we  condemn  by  our  testimony 
against  their  favorite  sins  ;  their  commendation  would 
show  that  we  had  missed  our  mark. 

We  naturally  look  to  be  approved  by  our  own 
people,  the  members  of  our  churches,  and  the  adher- 
ents of  our  congregations,  and  when  they  make 
observations  which  show  that  they  are  not  very  great 
admirers,  we  maybe  tempted  to  discouragement  if  not 
to  anorer:  herein  lies  a  snare.  When  I  was  about  to 
leave  my  village  charge  for  London,  one  of  the  old 
men  prayed  that  I  might  be  "  delivered  from  the  bleat- 
ing of  the  sheep."  For  the  life  of  me  I  could  not 
imagine  what  he  meant,  but  the  riddle  is  plain  now, 
and  I  have  learned  to  offer  the  prayer  myself.  Too 
much  consideration  of  what  is  said  by  our  people, 
whether  it  be  in  praise  or  in  depreciation,  is  not  good 
for  us.  If  we  dwell  on  high  with  "  that  great  Shepherd 
of  the  sheep,"  we  shall  care  little  for  all  the  confused 
bleatings  around  us,  but  if  we  become  "  carnal,  and 
walk  as  men,"  we  shall  have  litde  rest  if  we  listen  to 
this,  that,  and  the  other  which  every  poor  sheep  may 
bleat  about  us. 

Mrs.  Clack  and  her  Brood. 

Perhaps  it  is  quite  true  that  you  were  uncommonly 


BLIND  EYE  AND   DEAF  EAR. 


343 


dull  last  Sabbath  morning,  but  there  was  no  need  that 
Mrs.  Clack  should  come  and  tell  you  that  Deacon 
Jones  thought  so.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  hav- 
ing been  out  in  the  country  all  the  previous  week, 
your  preaching  was  very  like  milk  and  water,  but 
there  can  be  no  necessity  for  your  going  around 
among  the  people  to  discover  whether  they  noticed  it 
or  not.  Is  it  not  enough  that  your  conscience  is  uneasy 
upon  the  point  ?  Endeavor  to  improve  for  the  future, 
but  do  not  want  to  hear  all  that  every  Jack,  Tom,  and 
Mary  may  have  to  say  about  it. 

On  the  other  hand,  you  were  on  the  high  horse  in 
your  last  sermon,  and  finished  with  quite  a  flourish  of 
trumpets,  and  you  feel  considerable  anxiety  to  know 
what  impression  you  produced.     Repress  your  curi- 
osity :  it  will  do  you  no  good  to  inquire.     If  the  people 
should  happen  to  agree  with  your  verdict,  it  will  only 
feed  your  pitiful  vanity,  and  if  they  think  otherwise 
your  fishing  for  their  praise  will  injure  you   in   their 
esteem.     In  any  case  it  is  all  about  yourself,  and  this 
is  a  poor  theme  to  be  anxious  about ;  play  the  man, 
and  do  not  demean  yourself  by  seeking  compliments 
like  little  children  when  dressed  in  new  clothes,  who 
say,  *'  See  my  pretty  frock."     Have  you  not  by  this 
time  discovered  that  flattery  is  as  injurious  as  it  is 
pleasant  ?     It  softens  the  mind  and  makes  you  more 
sensitive  to  slander.     In  proportion  as  praise  pleases 
you  censure  will  pain  you. 

Besides,  it  is  a  crime  to  be  taken  off  from  your  great 
object  of  glorifying  the  Lord  Jesus  by  petty  consider- 


344  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

ations  as  to  your  little  self,  and,  if  there  were  no  other 
reason,  this  ought  to  weigh  much  with  you.  Pride  is 
a  deadly  sin,  and  will  grow  without  your  borrowing 
the  parish  water-cart  to  quicken  it.  Forget  expres- 
sions which  feed  your  vanity,  and  if  you  find  yourself 
relishing  the  unwholesome  morsels  confess  the  sin 
with  deep  humiliation. 

"Water  Cannot  Quench  Pride. 

Payson  showed  that  he  was  strong  in  the  Lord  when 
he  wrote  to  his  mother,  "  You  must  not,  certainly,  my 
dear  mother,  say  one  word  which  even  looks  like  an 
intimation  that  you  think  me  advancing  in  grace.  I 
cannot  bear  it.  All  the  people  here,  whether  friends 
or  enemies,  conspire  to  ruin  me.  Satan  and  my  own 
heart,  of  course,  will  lend  a  hand ;  and  if  you  join  too, 
I  fear  all  the  cold  water  which  Christ  can  throw  upon 
my  pride  will  not  prevent  its  breaking  out  into  a 
destructive  flame.  As  certainly  as  anybody  flatters 
and  caresses  me  my  heavenly  Father  has  to  whip  me : 
and  an  unspeakable  mercy  it  is  that  he  condescends 
to  do  it.  I  can,  it  is  true,  easily  muster  a  hundred 
reasons  why  I  should  not  be  proud,  but  pride  will  not 
mind  reason,  nor  anything  else  but  a  good  drubbing. 
Even  at  this  moment  I  feel  it  tingling  in  my  fingers' 
ends,  and  seeking  to  guide  my  pen."  Knowing  some- 
thing myself  of  those  secret  whippings  which  our  good 
Father  administers  to  his  servants  when  he  sees  them 
unduly  exalted,  I  heartily  add  my  own  solemn  warn- 
ings against  your  pampering  the  flesh  by  listening  to 


BLIND   EYE   AND   DEAF   EAR.  345 

the  praises  of  the  kindest  friends  you  have.     They  are 
injudicious,  and  you  must  beware  of  them. 

A  sensible  friend  who  will  unsparingly  criticize  you 
from  week  to  week  will  be  a  far  greater  blessing  to 
you  than  a  thousand  undiscriminating  admirers  if  you 
have  sense  enough  to  bear  his  treatment,  and  grace 
enough  to  be  thankful  for  it. 

A  Helpful  Critic. 

When  I  was  preaching  at  the  Surrey  Gardens,  an 
unknown  censor  of  great  ability  used  to  send  me  a 
weekly  list  of  my  mispronunciations  and  odier  slips 
of  speech.  He  never  signed  his  name,  and  that  was 
my  only  cause  of  complaint  against  him,  for  he  left 
me  in  a  debt  which  I  could  not  acknowledgre.  I  take 
this  opportunity  of  confessing  my  obligations  to  him, 
for  with  genial  temper,  and  an  evident  desire  to  ben- 
efit me,  he  marked  down  most  relentlessly  everything 
which  he  supposed  me  to  have  said  incorrectly.  Con- 
cerning some  of  these  corrections  he  was  in  error 
himself,  but  for  the  most  part  he  was  right,  and  his 
remarks  enabled  me  to  perceive  and  avoid  many 
mistakes. 

I  looked  for  his  weekly  memoranda  with  much 
interest,  and  I  trust  I  am  all  the  better  for  them.  If 
I  had  repeated  a  sentence  two  or  three  Sundays  before, 
he  would  say,  "See  same  expression  in  such  a  ser- 
mon," mentioning  number  and  page.  He  remarked 
on  one  occasion  that  I  too  often  quoted  the  line, 

"  Nothing  in  my  hands  I  bring," 

and  he  added,  "  we  are  sufficiently  informed  of  the 


346  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

vacuity  of  your  hands."    He  demanded  my  authority 
for  calling  a  man  covechus ;  and  so  on. 
Profitable  Corrections. 

Possibly  some  young  men  might  have  been  discour- 
aged, if  not  irritated,  by  such  severe  criticisms,  but 
they  would  have  been  very  foolish,  for  in  resenting 
such  correction  they  would  have  been  throwing  away 
a  valuable  aid  to  progress.  No  money  can  purchase 
outspoken  honest  judgment,  and  when  we  can  get  it 
for  nothing-  let  us  utilize  it  to  the  fullest  extent.  The 
worst  of  it  is  that  of  those  who  offer  their  judgments 
few  are  qualified  to  form  them,  and  we  shall  be 
pestered  with  foolish,  impertinent  remarks,  unless  we 
turn  to  them  all  the  blind  eye  and  the  deaf  ear. 

In  the  case  of  false  reports  against  yourself  for  the 
most  part  use  the  deaf  ear.  Unfortunately  liars  are  not 
yet  extinct,  and,  like  Richard  Baxter  and  John  Bunyan, 
you  may  be  accused  of  crimes  which  your  soul  abhors. 
Be  not  staggered  thereby,  for  this  trial  has  befallen 
the  very  best  of  men,  and  even  your  Lord  did  not  es- 
cape the  envenomed  tongue  of  falsehood.  In  almost 
all  cases  it  is  the  wisest  course  to  let  such  things  die  a 
natural  death. 

A  great  lie,  if  unnoticed,  is  like  a  big  fish  out  of 
water,  it  dashes  and  plunges  and  beats  itself  to  death 
in  a  short  time.  To  answer  it  is  to  supply  it  with  its 
element,  and  help  it  to  a  longer  life.  Falsehoods 
usually  carry  their  own  refutation  somewhere  about 
them,  and  sting  themselves  to  death.  Some  lies 
especially  have  a  peculiar  smell,  which  betrays  their 


BLIND   EYE   AND  DEAF   EAR.  347 

rottenness  to  every  honest  nose.  If  you  are  disturbed 
by  them  the  object  of  their  invention  is  partly  answered, 
but  your  silent  endurance  disappoints  malice  and  gives 
you  a  partial  victory,  which  God  in  his  care  of  you 
will  soon  turn  into  a  complete  deliverance. 

Defence  of  a  Blameless  Life. 

Your  blameless  life  will  be  your  best  defence,  and 
those  who  have  seen  it  will  not  allow  you  to  be  con- 
demned so  readily  as  your  slanderers  expect.  Only 
abstain  from  fighting  your  own  battles,  and  in  nine 
cases  out  of  ten  your  accusers  will  gain  nothing  by 
their  malevolence  but  chasfrin  for  themselves  and  con- 
tempt  from  others.  To  prosecute  the  slanderer  is  very 
seldom  wise. 

I  remember  a  beloved  servant  of  Christ  who  In  his 
youth  was  very  sensitive,  and,  being  falsely  accused, 
proceeded  against  the  person  at  law.  An  apology  was 
offered,  it  withdrew  every  iota  of  the  charge,  and  was 
most  ample,  but  the  good  man  insisted  upon  Its  being 
printed  In  the  newspapers,  and  the  result  convinced 
him  of  his  own  unwisdom.  Multitudes,  who  would 
otherwise  have  never  heard  of  the  libel,  asked  what 
it  meant,  and  made  comments  thereon,  generally  con- 
cluding with  the  sage  remark  that  he  must  have  done 
something  Imprudent  to  provoke  such  an  accusation. 
He  was  heard  to  say  that  so  long  as  he  lived  he  would 
never  resort  to  such  a  method  again,  for  he  felt  that 
the  public  apology  had  done  him  more  harm  than  the 
slander  itself.  Standing  as  we  do  in  a  position  which 
makes  us  choice  targets  for  the  devil  and  his  allies,  our 


348  SERMONS  AND   LECTURES. 

best  course  is  to  defend  our  innocence  by  our  silence 
and  leave  our  reputation  with  God. 

Enemies  must  Sometimes  be  Answered. 

Yet  there  are  exceptions  to  this  general  rule.  When 
distinct,  definite,  public  charges  are  made  against  a 
man  he  is  bound  to  answer  them,  and  answer  them  in 
the  clearest  and  most  open  manner.  To  decline  all 
investigation  is  in  such  a  case  practically  to  plead 
guilty,  and  whatever  may  be  the  mode  of  putdng  it, 
the  general  public  ordinarily  regard  a  refusal  to  reply 
as  a  proof  of  guilt.  Under  mere  worry  and  annoy- 
ance it  is  by  far  the  best  to  be  altogether  passive,  but 
when  the  matter  assumes  more  serious  proportions, 
and  our  accuser  defies  us  to  a  defence,  we  are  bound 
to  meet  his  charges  with  honest  statements  of  fact.  In 
every  instance  counsel  should  be  sought  of  the  Lord 
as  to  how  to  deal  with  slanderous  tongues,  and  in  the 
issue  innocence  will  be  vindicated  and  falsehood  con- 
victed. 

Some  ministers  have  been  broken  in  spirit,  driven 
from  their  position,  and  even  injured  in  character  by 
taking  notice  of  village  scandal.  I  know  a  fine  young 
man,  for  whom  I  predicted  a  career  of  usefulness,  who 
fell  into  great  trouble  because  he  at  first  allowed  it  to 
be  a  trouble  and  then  worked  hard  to  make  it  so.  He 
came  to  me  and  complained  that  he  had  a  great  griev- 
ance ;  and  so  it  was  a  grievance,  but  from  beginning 
to  end  it  was  all  about  what  some  half-dozen  women 
had  said  about  his  procedure  after  the  death  of  his 
wife.     It  was  originally  too  small  a  thing  to  deal  with, 


BLIND   EYE   AND   DEAF   EAR.  349 

— a  Mrs.  Q.  had  said  that  she  should  not  wonder  if 
the  minister  married  the  servant  then  living  in  his 
house ;  another  represented  her  as  saying  that  he 
ought  to  marry  her,  and  then  a  third,  with  a  malicious 
ino-enuity,  found  a  deeper  meaning  in  the  words,  and 
construed  them  into  a  charge. 

If  You   Can't  Pray,  Whistle. 

Worst  oi  all,  the  dear  sensitive  preacher  must  needs 
trace  the  matter  out  and  accuse  a  score  or  two  of 
people  of  spreading  libels  against  him,  and  even 
threaten  some  of  them  with  legal  proceedings.  If  he 
could  have  prayed  over  it  in  secret,  or  even  have  whis- 
tled over  it,  no  harm  would  have  come  of  the  tittle- 
tattle  ;  but  this  dear  brother  could  not  treat  the  slander 
wisely,  for  he  had  not  what  I  earnestly  recommend  to 
you,  namely,  a  blind  eye  and  a  deaf  ear. 

Once  more,  my  brethren,  the  blind  eye  and  the  deaf 
ear  will  be  useful  to  you  in  relation  to  other  churches 
and  their  pastors.  I  am  always  delighted  when  a 
brother  in  meddling  with  other  people's  business 
burns  his  fingers.  Why  did  he  not  attend  to  his  own 
concerns  and  not  episcopize  in  another's  diocese  ? 
I  am  frequently  requested  by  members  of  churches  to 
meddle  In  their  home  disputes;  but  unless  they  come 
to  me  with  authority,  officially  appointing  me  to  be 
umpire,  I  decline. 

Alexander  Cruden  gave  himself  the  name  of  "  the 
Corrector,"  and  I  have  never  envied  him  the  title. 
It  would  need  a  peculiar  inspiration  to  enable  a  man 
to  settle  all  the  controversies  of  our  churches,  and  as 


850  SERMONS   AND   LECTURES. 

a  rule  those  who  are  least  qualified  are  the  most  eager 
to  attempt  it.  For  the  most  part  interference,  how- 
ever well-intentioned,  is  a  failure.  Internal  dissensions 
in  our  churches  are  very  like  quarrels  between  man 
and  wife :  when  the  case  comes  to  such  a  pass  that 
they  must  fight  it  out,  the  interposing  party  will  be 
the  victim  of  their  common  fury. 

Officious  Mr.  Verdant  Green. 

No  one  but  Mr.  Verdant  Green  will  interfere  In  a 
domestic  battle,  for  the  man  of  course  resents  it,  and 
the  lady,  though  suffering  from  many  a  blow,  will  say, 
"  You  leave  my  husband  alone  ;  he  has  a  right  to  beat 
me  if  he  likes."  However  great  the  mutual  animosity 
of  conjugal  combatants,  it  seems  to  be  forgotten  in 
resentment  against  intruders ;  and  so,  amongst  the 
very  independent  denomination  of  Baptists,  the  per- 
son outside  the  church  who  interferes  in  any  manner 
Is  sure  to  get  the  worst  of  it. 

Do  not  consider  yourself  to  be  the  bishop  of  all  the 
neighboring  churches,  but  be  satisfied  with  looking 
after  Lystra,  or  Derbe,  or  Thessalonica,  or  whichever 
church  may  have  been  allotted  to  your  care,  and  leave 
Philippi  and  Ephesus  in  the  hands  of  their  own  pas- 
tors. Do  not  encourage  disaffected  persons  in  finding 
fault  with  their  minister,  or  In  bringing  you  news  of 
evil  In  other  congregations.  When  you  meet  your 
brother  ministers  do  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  advise  them; 
they  know  their  duty  quite  as  well  as  you  know  yours, 
and  your  judgment  upon  their  course  of  action  is 
probably  founded  upon  partial  Information   supplied 


BLIND  EYE   AND  DEAF   EAR.  351 

from  prejudiced  sources.  Do  not  grieve  your  neigh- 
bor by  your  meddlesomeness.  We  have  all  enough 
to  do  at  home,  and  it  is  prudent  to  keep  out  of  all 
disputes  which  do  not  belong  to  us. 

Washing-  Dirty  Linen  at  Home. 

We  are  recommended  by  one  of  the  world's  prov- 
erbs to  wash  our  dirty  linen  at  home,  and  I  will  add 
another  line  to  it,  and  advise  that  we  do  not  call  on 
our  neighbors  while  their  linen  is  in  the  suds.  This 
is  due  to  our  friends,  and  will  best  promote  peace. 
**  He  that  passeth  by  and  meddleth  with  strife  belong- 
ing not  to  him,  is  like  one  that  taketh  a  dog  by  the 
ears  " — he  is  very  apt  to  be  bitten,  and  few  will  pity 
him.  Bridges  wisely  observes  that  "  Our  blessed 
Master  has  read  us  a  lesson  of  godly  wisdom.  He 
healed  the  contentions  in  his  own  family,  but  when 
called  to  meddle  with  strife  belonging  not  to  him,  he 
gave  answer,  *  Who  made  me  a  judge  or  a  divider 
over  you  ?  *  "  Self-constituted  judges  win  but  little 
respect ;  if  they  were  more  fit  to  censure  they  would 
be  less  inclined  to  do  so. 

Many  a  trifling  difference  within  a  church  has  been 
fanned  into  a  great  flame  by  ministers  outside  who 
had  no  idea  of  the  mischief  they  were  causing.  They 
gave  verdicts  upon  ex  parte  statements,  and  so  egged 
on  opposing  persons  who  felt  safe  when  they  could 
say  that  the  neighboring  ministers  quite  agreed  with 
them.  My  counsel  is  that  we  join  the  "  Knownoth- 
ings,"  and  never  say  a  word  upon  a  matter  till  we 
have  heard  both  sides ;  and,  moreover,  that  we  do  our 


852  SHORT    SERMONS 

best  to  avoid  hearing  either  one  side  or  the  other  If 
the  matter  does  not  concern  us. 

Is  not  this  a  sufficient  explanation  of  my  declaration 
that  I  have  one  blind  eye  and  one  deaf  ear  and  that 
they  are  the  best  eye  and  ear  I  have  ? 


SHORT  SERMONS  ON  PRACTICAL  SUBJECTS. 


LADIES'  DRESS. 
I  will  that  women  adorn  themselves  in  modest  apparel. — I  TiM.  ii.  8,  9. 

On  the  nth  of  April,  In  the  course  of  an  action 
brought  by  the  well-known  modiste,  "  Madame  Rosa- 
He,"  against  a  gentleman  of  property  to  compel  him 
to  pay  a  debt  contracted  by  his  wife,  It  was  stated  In 
evidence  that  from  ^2,5cx)  to  ^10,000  a  year  might  be 
considered  a  reasonable  sum  for  a  lady  moving  In  good 
society  to  expend  on  dress.  The  gentleman's  wife.  In 
the  witness-box,  repudiated  with  lofty  scorn  the  Idea 
that  the  former  amount  was  sufficient  The  lady  Is  an 
Invalid,  has  never  been  presented  at  court,  and  Is  not 
called  into  company,  and  yet  was  Indebted  for  millinery 
to  a  very  large  amount. 

Is  It,  then,  a  fact  that  so  large  a  sum  Is  considered 
needful  for  the  clothing  of  one  human  form  ?  Surely 
the  luxury  of  the  old  Roman  Empire  Is  Infecting  our 
beloved  country :  may  God  grant  that  It  may  not.  In 
our  case  also,  be  a  sign  of  the  decay  of  the  nation. 
Women  should  be  too  considerate  of  the  needs  of  the 


ON   PRACTICAL   SUBJECTS.  353 

sick  and  suffering  to  spend  their  money  so  wastefully. 
A  blanket  placed  on  the  bed  of  a  poor  old  woman 
would  be  a  better  ornament  to  a  lady's  character  than 
all  the  lace  a  dukedom  could  purchase.  Yet  so  it  is; 
but — tell  it  not  in  Gath — a  lady  cannot  be  dressed 
under  <^  10,000  a  year  ! 

Attempt  to  Conceal  Ugliness. 

The  only  excuse  we  can  think  of  for  some  dressy 
women  is  that  they  think  themselves  very  ugly.  What 
deformity  must  exist  if  it  needs  ten  thousand  a  year 
to  cover  it !  If  these  persons  accurately  gauge  their 
lack  of  personal  charms,  they  must  be  suffering  under 
a  fearful  measure  of  uncomeliness.  Why,  ten  or 
twenty  families  could  be  reared  in  comparative  com- 
fort upon  the  amount  thus  expended  in  wastefulness; 
and  as  matters  go  with  the  agricultural  laborers  in 
many  of  the  shires,  forty  of  the  families  owned  by 
Hodge  and  his  companions,  including  all  the  father 
Hodges  and  their  wives,  could  be  decently  provided 
for  upon  ten  thousand  a  year.  It  will  not  bear  think- 
ing of.  Yet  many  women  professing  godliness  are 
shockingly  extravagant,  and  can  never  be  happy  till 
their  heads  are  tricked  out  with  stranore  frear  and 
their  bodies  with  fashionable  millinery.  They  litde 
think  how  much  they  degrade  themselves  and  grieve 
the  Spirit  of  God. 

Wicked  Extravagance. 

A  forgiven  sinner  decked  out  In  the  flauntlngr  o-ar- 
ments  of  a  worldling,  casts  suspicion  upon  her  own 
pardon  ;  if  she  had  ever  been  renewed  in  heart,  would 

23 


S54  SHORT   SERMONS 

she,  could  she,  adorn  herself  after  the  manner  of  a 
Jezebel  ?  It  is  hard  to  thhik  of  a  disciple  of  the  Lord 
wasting  her  substance  upon  personal  decoration. 
Does  the  lowly  Jesus  keep  company  with  persons  who 
spend  hours  at  the  glass,  adorning,  if  not  adoring,  their 
own  flesh  ?  Can  extravagance  and  fashionableness 
be  pleasing  to  the  Lord  ?     No.     Assuredly  not. 

We  are  not  judging  that  "  neat  handsomeness  " 
which  George  Herbert  says  "  doth  bear  the  sway,"  but 
we  are  sorrowful  when  we  see  those  who  set  them- 
selves up  as  examples,  and  move  in  a  position  where 
no  outward  show  is  required,  going  beyond  ordinary 
worldly  women  in  extravagance.  It  is  the  bane  of 
society  and  the  disgrace  of  religion. 

THE  RACE  AND  ITS  SPECTATORS. 

Wherefore  seeing  we  also  are  compassed  about  with  so  great  a  cloud  of 
witnesses,  let  us  lay  aside  every  weight,  and  the  sin  which  doth  so  easily  beset 
us,  and  let  us  run  with  patience  the  race  that  is  set  before  us. — Heb.  xii.  I. 

In  an  article  upon  the  University  boat-race  of  April 
13,  the  "  Times  "  alludes  to  the  dense  throng  upon  the 
banks  of  the  river,  and  to  the  interest  which  every- 
body seemed  to  feel  in  the  struggle,  and  it  then  very 
truthfully  adds : 

"  Nor  do  the  competitors  themselves  fail  to  gain 
much  from  the  sight  of  the  vast  crowds  which  attest 
the  strength  of  the  popular  interest.  The  rivalry 
would  hardly  be  so  keen  if  the  race  were  to  be  rowed 
amid  the  comparative  privacy  of  a  provincial  stream 
or  lake.     Some  years  ago  this  was  kept  out  of  sight 


ON  PRACTICAL   SUBJECTS.  855 

in  a  high  and  mighty  way,  by  the  suggestion  that,  to 
prevent  the  contest  from  being  vulgarized,  or  for  some 
other  reason,  it  ought  to  be  held  at  some  quieter  place 
than  the  neighborhood  of  London.  Loch  Maree,  in 
the  wilds  of  Ross-shire,  would  afford  charming  tran- 
quility and  a  few  scores  of  cool  spectators.  But  the 
stimulus  of  a  great  public  competition  would  be  gone, 
and,  if  we  may  venture  to  assume  that  \mdergraduates 
are  made  of  the  same  stuff  as  other  human  beings, 
that  stimulus  is  essential  to  such  muscular  exertion 
as  we  see  at  Oxford  and  Cambridge." 

Myriads  of  Heavenly  Spectators. 

This  excellently  illustrates  the  meaning  of  the 
apostle  when  he  represents  believers  as  running  for  a 
prize,  with  saints,  apostles,  and  martyrs  looking  on. 
The  stimulus  communicated  by  spectators  is  his  prom- 
inent idea.  No  doubt  the  young  oarsmen  find  a 
stimulus  in  every  eye  that  gazes  upon  them,  and  if  the 
crowd  were  thinned  they  would  take  less  interest  in 
their  task.  The  crowds  which  line  the  Thames  may 
well  be  compared  to  clouds,  so  completely  do  they 
darken  the  banks  from  end  to  end  of  the  course ;  and 
^much  more  may  those  who  gaze  upon  the  Christian's 
life  be  thus  spoken  of. 

Myriads  lean  from  heaven,  or  look  from  earth,  or  peef 
upward  from  the  pit.  Holy  men  of  all  ages,  now 
with  God,  join  with  a  great  host  still  abiding  here 
below.  Angels  and  principalities  and  powers  unite  as 
one  vast  army  and  observe  us  intently  ;  and  frowning 
demons  of  the  pit  in  their  dread  array  all  gaze  with 


356  SHORT   SERMONS 

interest  upon  the  Christian's  work  and  way.     Should 
not  every  glance  animate  us  to  do  our  utmost  ? 

And  what  eyes  there  are  among  those  who  observe 
us !  Had  the  queen  been  present,  we  could  imagine  the 
young  athletes  straining  themselves  even  more  than 
they  had  done,  for  the  glance  of  royalty  quickens  en- 
ergy to  the  utmost.  In  our  case,  the  King  of  kings 
looks  down  upon  us,  and  the  Prince  of  Life  with  ten- 
der sympathy  watches  our  progress.  What  manner 
of  race  should  ours  be  under  the  Lord's  own  eye! 

Wrestling  for  Victory, 

Competitors  of  former  years  were  at  the  boat  race 
to  see  whether  the  newcomers  would  maintain  the 
honor  of  their  university.  Even  so  the  worthies  of 
ancient  times,  who  counted  not  their  lives  dear  unto 
them,  take  pleasure  in  the  efforts  of  those  who  to-day 
are  wrestling  for  victory,  as  they  themselves  did  in 
ages  past.  The  approving  glances  of  prophets  and 
apostles  may  well  stir  our  souls.  Dear  ones  who  have 
gone  before  also  mark  our  behavior  in  the  race.  A 
mother  In  heaven  takes  deliofht  in  the  ardor  of  her 
son ;  brothers  "  gone  over  to  the  majority "  are  se- 
renely glad  as  they  see  their  brothers  pushing  forward 
in  the  noble  cause.  Our  leaders  In  the  faith,  oarsmen 
who  taught  us  how  to  fly  over  the  waves,  regard  us 
with  anxious  interest,  and  joy  In  our  successes.  These 
things  should  quicken  us,  and  lend  us  arguments  for 
unabated  energy. 


ON  PRACTICAL  SUBJECTS.  S57 


RELIGIOUS  SLUGGARDS. 


An  American  paper  has  the  following  in  its  corner 
of  wit  and  anecdote:  "A  Sunday-school  boy  at  Mays- 
ville,  Kentucky,  was  asked  by  the  superintendent  the 
other  day  if  his  father  was  a  Christian.  'Yes,  sir,'  he 
replied,  *  but  he  is  not  working  at  it  much. 

In  too  many  cases  the  same  statement  might  be 
made,  for  multitudes  have  a  name  to  live  and  are  dead, 
and  the  love  of  many  has  waxed  cold.  Religion  is  a 
profession  with  them,  but  it  is  not  accompanied  by 
practice.  Now,  of  all  pursuits  in  the  world,  the  Chris- 
tian profession  requires  the  most  energetic  action,  and 
it  utterly  fails  where  diligence  and  zeal  are  absent. 
What  can  a  man  do  as  a  farmer,  a  merchant,  a  carpen- 
ter, or  even  as  a  beggar,  unless  he  follows  up  his 
calling  with  activity  and  perseverance  ?  A  sluggard 
desireth  and  hath  nothing,  whatever  his  trade  may  be. 
What,  then,  can  he  hope  to  win  who  calls  himself  a 
Christian,  and  neither  learns  of  Christ  as  his  Teacher, 
nor  follows  him  as  his  Master,  nor  serves  him  as  his 
Prince  ?  Salvation  is  not  by  works,  but  it  is  salvation 
from  idleness.  We  are  not  saved  because  we  are 
'earnest ;  but  he  who  is  not  earnest  has  great  reason 
to  question  whether  he  is  saved. 

Not  Worth  a  Shilling. 

Do  you  know  a  Christian  who  never  attends  week- 
day services,  and  only  comes  to  public  worship  once 
on  a  Sunday  ?     "  He  is  not  working  at  it  much."    Do 


358  FHORT   SERMONS 

you  know  a  professor  who  is  not  engaged  in  the  Sab- 
bath-school, the  Visiting  Society,  the  Tract  Associa- 
tion, or  in  any  other  form  of  usefulness?  "  He  is  not 
working  at  it  much."  Do  you  know  a  man  who  gives 
little  or  nothing  to  the  work  of  the  Lord,  neo^lects 
family  prayer,  never  says  a  word  for  Jesus,  and  never 
intercedes  for  perishing  souls  ?  "He  is  not  working, 
at  it  much."  Perhaps  he  is  the  best  judge  of  his  relig- 
ion, and  does  not  think  it  worth  being  diligent  about. 

We  heard  of  one  who  said  his  relioion  did  not  cost 
him  a  shilling  a  year,  and  a  friend  observed  that  he 
thought  it  was  more  than  it  was  worth ;  and  in  the 
present  case  we  may  conclude  that  a  man's  religion 
is  a  very  poor  affair  when  "  he  does  not  work  at  it 
much." 

Our  Lord  does  not  set  before  us  the  Christian  life 
as  a  dainty  repose,  but  as  a  warfare  and  a  struggle. 
He  bids  us  "strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  eate,"  and 
never  suggests  to  us  that  we  can  enter  into  his  rest  if 
we  are  not  willing  to  bear  his  yoke.  Faith  saves  us, 
but  it  is  the  faith  which  worketh  by  love ;  all  our  sal- 
vation is  wrought  in  us  by  the  Lord  both  as  to  willing 
and  doing,  but  yet  we  are  to  work  it  out  with  fear  and 
trembling;  which  also  by  his  grace  we  will  hence-, 
forth  do. 

"  Sure  I  must  fight  if  I  would  reign  : 
Increase  my  courage,  Lord ! 
I'll  bear  the  toil,  endure  the  pain, 
Supported  by  thy  Word." 


ON   PRACTICAL   SUBJECTS. 


359 


THE  EVIL  WROUGHT  BY  ONE   MAN. 

One  sinner  destioyeth  mucl.  good. — Eccles.  ix.  l8. 

An  American  paper  contains  the  following  para- 
graph :  "  An  oil-train  of  forty  oil-tanks  ran  into  a  heavy 
freight-train  near  Slatington,  Pennsylvania.  The  engi- 
neer of  the  latter  train  had  been  compelled  to  stop  to 
cool  off  a  hot  'journal,'  but  the  conductor  had  sent  no 
one  back  to  warn  following  trains  of  danger.  Several 
persons  were  killed  and  about  forty  injured, — the 
result  of  one  man's  carelessness." 

Amid  the  blaze  of  the  oil,  the  screams  of  burning 
men  and  women,  and  the  charred  remains  of  the 
unhappy  victims,  we  see  how  great  a  calamity  may 
arise  out  of  a  little  neglect,  and  how  much  the  destiny 
of  others  may  hang  upon  the  acts  of  one  man.  Have 
we  a  due  sense  of  our  own  personal  responsibility? 
Have  we  ever  reflected  that  our  own  conduct  may 
influence  others  for  good  or  evil  throughout  eternity? 
We  may  have  no  wicked  intent,  and  yet  our  careless- 
ness and  indifference  may  be  as  fatal  to  immortal  souls 
as  if  we  had  been  profane  or  profligate. 

Moral  virtues,  apart  from  religion,  may  suggest  to 
our  children  that  godliness  is  needless ;  was  not  their 
father  an  excellent  man,  and  yet  he  was  unconverted  ? 
Thus  may  generation  after  generation  be  kept  In  spir- 
itual death  by  an  argument  fetched  from  the  Irreliglon 
of  one  who  was  in  other  respects  a  model  character. 
Who  among  us  would  desire  this? 

Even  if  we  hope  that  we  are  ourselves  saved,  it 


360  SfiORT   SERMONS. 

should  cause  us  grave  question  if  we  are  not  bringing 
others  to  Jesus.  A  destroyer  of  souls  will  have  an 
awful  doom  at  the  last,  and  he  who  failed  to  do  his 
best  to  save  his  fellows  will  not  be  held  guiltless  before 
the  Lord. 

THE  WITHERING   OF  UNBELIEF. 

Let  them  be  as  the  grass  upon  the  housetops,  which  withereth  afore  it  groweth 
up. — Ps.  cxxix.  5,  6,  7. 

"Notwithstanding  the  humidity  of  the  season,  the 
grass  crop  on  Wandsworth  Bridge  will  not  be  cut  this 
year."  This  witty  paragraph,  taken  from  the  "  South 
London  Press,"  an  interesting  local  paper,  of  May  25, 
refers  to  a  bridge  upon  which  there  is  litde  traffic. 
Of  course  the  grass  will  not  be  mown,  for  it  has  no 
depth  of  earth  to  grow  upon,  and  is  of  no  value. 

The  text  which  we  have  quoted  here  finds  an  illus- 
tration. It  is  true,  a  bridge  is  not  a  house-top,  but  in 
scantiness  of  soil  it  is  much  the  same.  The  opponents 
of  the  Gospel  are  very  numerous,  but  they  never  come 
to  anything;  they  are  always  confounded  before  they 
can  well  establish  their  theories.  Various  orders  of 
infidels  have  sprung  up  suddenly,  and  have  almost  as 
suddenly  disappeared,  and  even  those  which  have 
endured  for  a  longer  season  have  ultimately  pa&sed 
away,  leaving  scarcely  any  memorial  bdiind  them. 


BOOK   III. 

CHOICE  SELECTIONS  FROM  THE  WRITINGS 
OF  REV.  C.  H.  SPURGEON. 


JOHN  PLOUGHMAN'S  TALK  AND  PICTURES. 

A  HAND-SAW  IS  A  GOOD  THING,  BUT  NOT  TO 
SHAVE  WITH. 

Our  friend  will  cut  more  than  he  will  eat,  and  shave 
off  something  more  than  hair,  and  then  he  will  blame 
the  saw.  His  brains  don't  lie  in  his  beard,  nor  yet  in 
the  skull  above  it,  or  he  would  see  that  his  saw  will 
only  make  sores.  There's  sense  in  choosing  your 
tools,  for  a  pig's  tail  will  never  make  a  good  arrow, 
nor  will  his  ear  make  a  silk  purse.  You  can't  catch 
rabbits  with  drums,  nor  pigeons  with  plums.  A  good 
thing  is  not  good  out  of  its  place.  It  is  much  the 
same  with  lads  and  girls;  you  can't  put  all  boys  to 
one  trade,  nor  send  all  girls  to  the  same  service.  One 
chap  will  make  a  London  clerk,  and  another  will  do 
better  to  plow  and  sow,  and  reap  and  mow,  and  be  a 
farmer's  boy.  It's  no  use  forcing  them ;  a  snail  will 
never  run  a  race,  nor  a  mouse  drive  a  wagon. 

"  Send  a  boy  to  the  well  against  his  will, 
The  pitcher  will  break  and  the  water  spill." 

(361) 


362 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 


With  unwilling  hounds  it  is  hard  to  hunt  hares.  To 
go  against  nature  and  inclination  is  to  row  against 
wiad  and  tide.  They  say  you  may  praise  a  fool  till 
yr%i  make  him  useful :  I  don't  know  so  much  about 


that,  but  I  do  know  that  if  I  get  a  bad  knife  I  gener- 
ally cut  my  finger,  and  a  blunt  axe  is  more  trouble 
than  profit.  No,  let  me  shave  with  a  razor  if  I  shave 
at  all,  and  do  my  work  with  the  best  tools  I  can  get. 

The  Wrong-  Occupation. 

Never  set  a  man  to  work  he  is  not  fit  for,  for  he  will 
never  do  it  well.  They  say  that  if  pigs  fly  they  always 
go  with  their  tails  forward,  and  awkward  workmen  are 
much  the  same.    Nobody  expects  cows  to  catch  crows, 


JOHN    ploughman's   TALK.  363 

or  hens  to  wear  hats.  There's  reason  in  roasting  eggs, 
and  there  should  be  reason  in  choosino-  servants. 
Don't  put  a  round  peg  into  a  square  hole,  nor  wind 
up  your  watch  with  a  corkscrew,  nor  set  a  tender- 
hearted man  to  whip  wife-beaters,  nor  a  bear  to  be  a 
relieving-cfficer,  nor  a  publican  to  judge  of  the  licens- 
ing laws.  Get  the  right  man  in  the  right  place,  and 
then  all  goes  as  smooth  as  skates  on  ice ;  but  the 
wrong  man  puts  all  awry,  as  the  sow  did  when  she 
folded  the  linen. 

It  is  a  temptation  to  many  to  trust  them  with  money: 
don't  put  them  to  take  care  of  it  if  you  ever  wish  to 
see  it  again.  Never  set  a  cat  to  watch  cream,  nor  a 
pig  to  gather  peaches,  for  if  the  cream  and  the  peaches 
go  a-missing  you  will  have  yourself  to  thank  for  it.  It 
is  a  sin  to  put  people  where  they  are  likely  to  sin.  If 
you  believe  the  old  saying,  that  when  you  set  a  beggar 
on  horseback  he  will  ride  to  the  devil,  don't  let  him 
have  a  horse  of  yours. 

Be  Your  Own  Errand  Boy. 

If  you  want  a  thing  well  done,  do  it  yourself,  and 
pick  your  tools.  It  is  true  that  a  man  must  row  with 
such  oars  as  he  has,  but  he  should  not  use  the  boat- 
hook  for  a  paddle.  Take  not  the  tongs  to  poke  the 
fire,  nor  the  poker  to  put  on  the  coals.  A  newspaper 
on  Sundays  is  as  much  out  of  place  as  a  warming-pan 
on  the  first  of  August,  or  a  fan  on  a  snowy  day :  the 
Bible  suits  the  Sabbath  a  deal  better. 

He  who  tries  to  make  money  by  betting  uses  a 
wrong  tool,  and  is  sure  to  cut  his  fingers.     As  well 


364 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 


hope  to  grow  golden  pippins  on  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
as  to  make  gain  among  gamblers  if  you  are  an  honest 
man.  Hard  work  and  thrifty  habits  are  the  right 
razor,  gambling  is  a  handsaw. 

Killing  Flies  With  Sledg-e-Hamniers. 

Some  things  want  doing  gently,  and  telling  a  man 
of  his  faults  is  one  of  them.  You  would  not  fetch  a 
hatchet  to  break  open  an  egg,  nor  kill  a  fly  on  your 
boy's  forehead  with  a  sledge-hammer,  and  so  you 
must  not  try  to  mend  your  neighbor's  litde  fault  by 
blowing  him  up  sky-high.  Never  fire  off  a  musket  to 
kill  a  midge,  and  don't  raise  a  hue  and  cry  about  the 
half  of  nothinof. 

Do  not  throw  away  a  saw  because  it  is  not  a  razor, 
for  it  will  serve  your  turn  another  day,  and  cut  your 
ham-bone  if  it  won't  shave  off  your  stubble.  A  whet- 
stone, though  it  cannot  cut,  may  sharpen  a  knife  that 
will.  A  match  gives  litde  light  itself,  but  it  may  light 
a  candle  to  brighten  up  the  room.  Use  each  thing 
and  each  man  according  to 'common-sense,  and  you 
will  be  uncommonly  sensible.  You  don't  milk  horses 
nor  ride  cows,  and  by  the  same  rule  you  must  make 
of  every  man  what  he  is  meant  for,  and  the  farm  will 
be  as  right  as  a  trivet. 

Everything  has  its  use,  but  no  one  thing  is  good  for 
all  purposes.  The  baby  said,  "  The  cat  crew,  and  the 
cock  rocked  the  cradle; ''  but  old  folks  knew  better; 
the  cat  is  best  at  mousing,  and  the  cock  at  rousing. 
That's  for  that,  as  salt  is  for  herrincrs,  and  suear  for 
gooseberries,   and  Nan  for  Nicholas.     Don  t  choose 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  365 

your  tools  by  their  looks,  for  that's  best  which  does 
best.     A  silver  trowel  lays  very  few  bricks. 

Pretty  Tools  but  Poor. 

You  cannot  curry  a  horse  with  a  tortoise-shell  comb, 
or  fell  oaks  with  a  penknife,  or  open  oysters  with  a 
gold  toothpick.  Fine  is  not  so  good  as  Jit  when  work 
is  to  be  done.  A  good  workman  will  get  on  pretty 
well  with  a  poor  tool,  and  a  brave  soldier  never  lacks 
a  weapon  ;  still,  the  best  is  good  enough  for  me,  and 
John  Ploughman  does  not  care  to  use  a  clumsy  tool 
because  it  looks  pretty.  Better  ride  on  an  ass  that 
carries  you  than  on  a  steed  which  throws  you  ;  it  is  far 
better  to  work  with  an  old-fashioned  spade  which  suits 
your  hand  than  with  a  new-fangled  invention  you  don't 
understand. 

In  trying  to  do  good  to  your  fellow-men  the  Gospel 
is  out  of  sight  the  best  instrument  to  work  with.  The 
new  doctrine  which  they  call  "  modern  thought "  is 
nothing  better  than  a  handsaw,  and  it  won't  work  a  bit. 
This  fine  new  nothing  of  a  gospel  would  not  save  a 
mouse,  nor  move  the  soul  of  a  tomtit ;  but  the  glorious 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  suited  to  man's  need,  and  by 
God's  grace  does  its  work  famously.  Let  every 
preacher  and  teacher  keep  to  it,  for  they  will  never 
find  a  better.  Try  to  win  men  with  its  loving  words 
and  precious  promises,  and  there's  no  fear  of  labor  in 
vain. 

Some  praise  the  balm  of  Gilead,  or  man's  morality  ; 
many  try  the  Roman  salve,  or  the  oil  of  Babylon  ;  and 
others  use  a  cunning  ointment  mixed  by  learned  phi- 


ooo  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

losophers ;  but  for  his  own  soul's  wounds,  and  for  the 
hurts  of  others,  John  Ploughman  knows  but  one  cure, 
and  that  is  given  gratis  by  the  Good  Physician  to  all 
who  ask  for  it.  A  humble  faith  in  Christ  Jesus  will 
soon  bring  you  this  sovereign  remedy.  Use  no  other 
for  no  other  is  of  use. 


HE  LIVES  UNDER  THE  SIGN  OF  THE  CAT'S  FOOT. 

The  question  was  once  asked.  When  should  a  man 
marry?  and  the  merry  answer  was,  that  for  young  men  it 
is  too  soon,  and  for  old  men  it  is  too  late.  This  is  all  very 
fine,  but  it  will  not  wash.  Both  the  wisdom  and  the  folly 
of  men  seem  banded  together  to  make  a  mock  of  this 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  S67 

doctrine.  Men  are  such  fools  that  they  must  and  will 
marry,  even  if  they  marry  fools.  It  is  wise  to  marry  when 
we  can  marry  wisely,  and  then  the  sooner  the  better. 
How  many  show  their  sense  in  choosing  a  partner  it  is 
not  for  me  to  say,  but  I  fear  that  in  many  cases  love  is 
blind,  and  makes  a  very  blind  choice.  I  don't  suppose 
that  some  people  would  ever  get  married  at  all  if  love 
had  its  wits  about  it. 

It  is  a  mystery  how  certain  parties  ever  found  part* 
ners  ;  truly  there's  no  accounting  for  tastes.  However, 
as  they  make  their  bed  they  must  lie  on  it,  and  as 
they  tie  the  knot  they  must  be  tied  by  it.  If  a  man 
catches  a  tartar,  or  lets  a  tartar  catch  him,  he  must 
take  his  dose  of  tartaric  acid,  and  make  as  few  ugly 
faces  as  he  can.  If  a  three-legged  stool  come  flying 
through  the  air,  he  must  be  thankful  for  such  a  plain 
token  of  love  from  the  woman  of  his  choice,  and  the 
best  thine  he  can  do  is  to  sit  down  on  it  and  wait  for 
the  next  little  article. 

Twenty  of  One  and  a  Score  of  the  Other. 

When  it  is  said  of  a  man,  "  He  lives  under  the  sign 
of  the  cat's  foot,"  he  must  try  and  please  his  pussy, 
that  she  may  not  scratch  him  more  than  such  cats 
generally  do.  A  good  husband  will  generally  have  a 
good  wife,  or  make  a  bad  wife  better.  Bad  Jack 
'makes  a  great  noise  about  bad  Jill,  but  there's  gener- 
ally twenty  of  one  where  there's  a  score  of  the  other. 
They  say  a  burden  of  one's  own  choosing  is  never  felt 
to  be  heavy  ;  but  I  don't  know,  some  men  are  loaded 


368  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

with  mischief  as  soon  as  they  have  a  wife  to  carry. 
Yet 

A  good  woman  is  worth,  if  she  were  sold, 
The  fairest  crown  that's  made  of  gold. 

She  is  a  pleasure,  a  treasure,  and  a  joy  without  measure. 
A  good  wife  and  health  are  a  man's  best  wealth  ;  and 
he  who  is  in  such  a  case  should  envy  no  man's  place. 
Even  when  a  women  is  a  little  tart,  it  is  better  than  if 
she  had  no  spirit,  and  made  her  house  into  a  dirt  pie. 
A  shrew  is  better  than  a  slut,  though  one  can  be  quite 
miserable  enouofh  with  either.  If  she  is  a  o-ood  house- 
wife,  and  looks  well  after  the  children,  one  may  put 
up  with  a  Caudle  lecture  now  and  then,  though  a 
cordial  lecture  would  be  a  deal  better. 

A  husband  is  in  a  pickle  indeed  if  he  gets  tied  up 
to  a  regular  scold  ;  he  might  as  well  be  skinned  and 
set  up  to  his  neck  in  a  tub  of  brine.  Did  you  ever 
hear  the  scold's  song?  Read  it,  you  young  folks  who 
think  of  committing  matrimony,  and  think  twice  befors 
you  get  married  once. 

When  in  the  morn  I  ope  mine  eyes 

To  entertain  the  day, 
Before  my  husband  e'en  can  rise, 

I  scold  him, — then  I  pray. 

When  I  at  table  tal<e  my  place, 

Whatever  be  the  meat, 
I  first  do  scold, — and  then  say  grace^ 

If  so  disposed  to  eat. 

Too  fat,  too  lean,  too  hot,  too  cold, 

I  always  do  complain  ; 
Too  raw,  too  roast,  too  young,  too  old^*^ 

Faults  I  will  find  or  feign. 


JOHN  ploughman's  TALK.  869 

Let  it  be  flesh,  or  fowl,  or  fish. 

It  never  shall  be  said 
But  I'll  find  fault  with  meat  or  dish, 

With  master  or  with  maid. 

But  when  I  go  to  bed  at  night 

I  heartily  do  weep, 
That  I  must  part  with  my  delight,— 

I  cannot  scold  and  sleep. 

However,  this  doth  mitigate 

And  much  abate  my  sorrow. 
That  though  to-night  it  be  too  late, 

I'll  early  scold  to-moiTow. 

When  the  husband  is  not  a  man,  it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  if  the  wife  wears  the  top-boots :  the  mare 
may  well  be  the  best  horse  when  the  odier  horse  is  a 
donkey.  Well  may  a  woman  feel  that  she  is  lord  and 
master  when  she  has  to  earn  the  living  for  the  family, 
as  is  sometimes  the  case.  She  oueht  not  to  be  the 
head,  but  if  she  has  all  the  brains,  what  is  she  to  do  ? 

Shiftless  Husbands. 

What  poor  dawdles  many  men  would  be  without 
their  wives  !  As  poor  softy  Simpkins  says,  if  Bill's 
wife  becomes  a  widow,  who  will  cut  the  pudding-  up 
for  him,  and  will  there  be  a  pudding  at  all  ?  It  is 
grand  when  the  wife  knows  her  place,  and  keeps  it, 
and  they  bodi  pull  together  in  everything.  Then  she 
is  a  helpmeet  indeed,  and  makes  the  house  a  home. 
Old  friend  Tusser  says, — 

"  When  husband  is  absent  let  housewife  be  chief. 
And  look  to  their  labor  who  live  from  their  sheaf; 
The  housewife's  so  named  for  she  keepeth  the  house. 
And  must  tend  on  her  profit  as  cat  on  a  mouse." 
24 


370  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

He  is  very  pat  upon  it  that  much  of  household  affairs 
must  rest  on  the  wife,  and  he  writes : 

"  Both  out,  not  allow, 
Keep  home,  housewife  thou." 

Like  the  old  man  and  woman  in  the  toy  which  shows 

the  weather,  one  must  be  sure  to  be  in  if  the  other 

goes  out.     When  the  king  is  abroad  the  queen  must 

reign  at  home,  and  when  he  returns  to  his  throne  he 

is  bound  to  look  upon  her  as  his  crown,  and  prize  her 

above  gold  and  jewels.     He   should  feel,  "  If  there's 

only  one  good  wife  in  the  whole  world,  I've  got  her." 

John  Ploughman  has  long  thought  just  that  of  his  own 

wife,  and  after  five  and  twenty  years  he  is  more  sure 

of  it  than    ever.     He  never  bets,  but  he  would  not 

mind  wagering  a  farthing  cake  that  there  is  not  a  better 

woman  on  the  surface  of  the  globe  than  his  own,  very 

own  beloved. 

A  Taste  of  Tongue. 

Happy  is  the  man  who  is  happy  in  his  wife.  Let 
him  love  her  as  he  loves  himself,  and  a  little  better, 
for  she  is  his  better  half. 

Thank  God  that  hath  so  blest  thee, 
And  sit  down  John,  and  rest  thee. 

There  is  one  case  in  which  I  don't  wonder  if  the 
•wife  does  put  her  mate  under  the  cat's  foot,  and  that  is 
when  he  slinks  off  to  the  public  and  wastes  his  wages. 
Even  then  love  and  gentleness  is  the  best  way  of  get- 
ting him  home ;  but,  really  some  topers  have  no  feel- 
ing, and  laugh  at  kindness,  and  therefore  nobody  can 
be  surprised  if  the  poor  wife  bristles  up  and  gives  her 


JOHN   ploughman's  TALK.  371 

lord  and  master  a  taste  of  tongue.  Nothing-  tries 
married  love  more  than  the  pothouse.  Wages  wasted, 
wife  neglected,  children  in  rags :  if  she  gives  it  him 
hot  and  strong,  who  can  blame  her  ?  Pitch  into  him, 
good  woman,  and  make  him  ashamed  of  himself,  if 
you  can.  No  wonder  that  you  lead  a  cat-and-dog  life 
while  he  is  such  a  sorry  dog. 

Still,  you  might  as  well  go  home  and  set  him  a  bet- 
ter example,  for  two  blacks  will  never  make  a 
white,  and  if  you  put  him  in  hot  water  he's  sure  to  get 
some  spirits  to  mix  with  it. 

A  GOOD  WORD  FOR  WIVES. 

We  pulled  up  the  horses  at  the  sign  of  the  "Good 
Woman  ;  "  and  as  there  is  good  entertainment  for  man, 
if  not  for  beast,  under  that  sign,  we  will  make  a  stay 
of  it,  and  dip  our  pen  into  some  of  that  superfine  ink 
which  has  no  galls  in  it.  When  he  writes  on  so  fair  a 
subject,  John  Ploughman  must  be  on  his  best  behavior. 

It  is  astonishing  how  many  old  sayings  there  are 
against  wives :  you  may  find  nineteen  to  the  dozen  of 
them.  The  men  years  ago  showed  the  rough  side  of 
their  tongues  whenever  they  spoke  of  their  spouses. 
Some  of  these  sayings  are  downright  shocking ;  as  for 
instance,  that  very  wicked  one,  "  Every  man  has  two 
good  days  with  his  wife, — the  day  he  marries  her  and 
the  day  he  buries  her ;  '*  and  that  other,  "  He  that 
loseth  his  wife  and  a  farthing,  has  a  great  loss  of  the 
farthing." 


372  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

Quaint  Old  Ballad. 

I  recollect  an  old  ballad  that  Gaffer  Brooks  used  to 
sing  about  a  man's  being  better  hung  than  married ; 
it  shows  how  common  it  was  to  abuse  the  married  life. 
It  is  almost  too  bad  to  print  it;  but  here  it  is  as  near 
as  I  remember  it: — 

"  There  was  a  victim  in  a  cart. 
One  day  for  to  be  hanged. 
And  his  reprieve  vv-as  granted. 
And  the  cart  made  for  to  stand. 

*' '  Come,  marry  a  wife  and  save  your  life,* 
The  judge  aloud  did  cry; 
'  Oh,  why  should  I  corrupt  my  life  ? 
The  victim  did  reply. 

**  •  For  here's  a  crowd  of  every  sort. 

And  why  should  I  prevent  their  sport  ? 
The  bargain's  bad  in  every  part, 
The  wife's  the  worst, — drive  on  the  cart.'  " 

Now  this  rubbish  does  not  prove  that  the  women 
are  bad,  but  that  their  husbands  are  good  for  nothing, 
or  else  they  would  not  make  up  such  abominable 
slanders  about  their  partners.  The  rottenest  bough 
cracks  first,  and  it  looks  as  if  the  male  side  of  the 
house  was  the  worse  of  the  two,  for  it  certainly  has 
made  up  the  most  grumbling  proverbs. 

Angelic  Women. 

There  have,  no  doubt,  been  some  shockingly  bad 
wives  in  the  world,  who  have  been  provoking  enough 
to  make  a  man  say: — 

"  If  a  woman  were  as  little  as  she  is  good, 

A  peashell  would  make  her  a  gown  and  a  hood." 

But  how  many  thousands   have  there  been  of  true 


JOHN   PLOUGHMAN  S   TALK. 


878 


helpmeets,  worth  far  more  than  their  weight  in  gold ! 
There  is  only  one  Job's  wife  mentioned  in  the  Bible 
and  one  Jezebel,  but  there  are  no  end  of  Sarahs 
and  Rebekahs.  I  am  of  Solomon's  mind,  that,  as  a 
rule,  he  that  findeth  a  wife  findeth  a  good  thing.  If 
there's  one  bad  shilling  taken  at  the  grocer's,  all  the 
neio-hbors  hear  of  it,  but  of  the  hundreds  of  good  ones 
report  says  nothing.  A  good  woman  makes  no  noise, 
and  no  noise  is  made  about  her ;  but  a  shrew  is  noted 
all  over  the  parish.  Taking  them  for  all  in  all,  they 
are  most  angelical  creatures,  and  a  great  deal  too  good 
for  half  the  husbands. 

It  is  much  to  the  women's  credit  that  there  are  very 
few  old  sayings  against  husbands,  although  in  this  case 
sauce  for  the  goose  would  make  capital  sauce  for  the 
gander ;  and  the  mare  has  as  good  reasons  for  kicking 
as  the  horse  has.  They  must  be  very  forbearing,  or 
they  would  have  given  the  men  a  Roland  for  every 
Oliver.  Pretty  dears,  they  may  be  rather  quick  in 
their  talk,  but  is  it  not  the  nature  of  bells  and  belles  to 
have  tongues  that  swing  easy? 

Henpecked  Husbands. 
They  cannot  be  so  very  bad  after  all,  or  they  would 
have  had  their  revenge  for  the  many  cruel  things 
which  are  said  against  them ;  and  if  they  are  a  bit 
masterful,  their  husbands  cannot  be  such  very  great 
victims,  or  they  would  surely  have  sense  enough  to 
hold  their  tongues  about  it.  Men  don't  care  to  have 
it  known  when  they  are  thoroughly  well  henpecked, 
and  I  feel  pretty  certain  that  the  old  sayings  are  noth» 


874  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

ing  but  chaff,  for  if  they  were  true,  men  would  never 
dare  to  own  it. 

A  true  wife  is  her  husband's  better  half,  his  lump  of 
delight,  his  flower  of  beauty,  his  guardian  angel,  and 
his  heart's  treasure.  He  says  to  her:  "I  shall  in  thee 
most  happy  be.  In  thee,  my  choice,  I  do  rejoice.  In 
thee  I  find  content  of  mind.  God's  appointment  is  my 
contentment."  In  her  company  he  finds  his  earthly 
heaven  ;  she  is  the  light  of  his  home,  the  comfort  of  his 
soul,  and  (for  this  world)  the  soul  of  his  comfort. 
Whatever  fortune  God  may  send  him,  he  is  rich  so 
long  as  she  lives.    His  rib  is  the  best  bone  in  his  body. 

The  man  who  weds  a  loving  wife, 
Whale'er  betideth  him  in  life. 

Shall  bear  up  under  all ; 
But  he  that  finds  an  evil  mate, 
No  good  can  come  within  his  gate, 

His  cup  is  fill'd  with  gall. 

A  good  husband  makes  a  good  wife.  Some  men 
can  neither  do  without  wives  nor  with  them ;  they  are 
wretched  alone  in  what  Is  called  single  blessedness, 
and  they  make  their  homes  miserable  when  they  get 
married  ;  they  are  like  Tompkin's  dog,  which  could  not 
bear  to  be  loose,  and  howled  when  it  was  tied  up. 
Happy  bachelors  are  likely  to  be  happy  husbands,  and 
a  happy  husband  is  the  happiest  of  men. 

Birds  of  Paradise. 

A  well-matched  couple  carry  a  joyful  life  between 
them,  as  the  two  spies  carried  the  cluster  of  Eshcol. 
They  are  a  brace  of  birds  of  Paradise.  They  multiply 
their  joys  by  sharing  them,  and  lessen  their  troubles 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  375 

by  dividing  them :  this  is  fine  arithmetic.  The  wagon 
of  care  rolls  lightly  along  as  they  pull  together ;  and 
when  it  drags  a  little  heavily,  or  there's  a  hitch  any- 
where, they  love  each  other  all  the  more,  and  so 
lighten  the  labor. 

When  a  couple  fall  out,  there  are  always  faults  on 
both  sides,  and  generally  there  is  a  pound  on  one  and 
sixteen  ounces  on  the  other.  When  a  home  is  miser- 
able, it  is  as  often  the  husband's  fault  as  the  wife's. 
Darby  is  as  much  to  blame  as  Joan,  and  sometimes 
more.  If  the  husband  won't  keep  sugar  in  the  cup- 
board, no  wonder  his  wife  gets  sour. 

Want  of  bread  makes  want  of  love  ;  lean  dogs  fight. 
Poverty  generally  rides  homes  on  the  husband's  back, 
for  it  is  not  often  the  woman's  place  to  go  out  working 
for  wages.  A  man  down  our  parts  gave  his  wife  a 
ring  with  this  on  it :  "  If  thee  don't  work,  thee  sha'nt 
eat."  He  was  a  brute.  It  is  no  business  of  hers  to 
bring  in  the  grist, — she  is  to  see  it  is  well  used  and  not 
wasted ;  therefore,  I  say,  short  commons  are  not  her 
fault.  She  is  not  the  bread-winner,  but  the  bread- 
maker.  She  earns  more  at  home  than  any  wages  she 
can  get  abroad. 

STICK  TO  IT  AND  DO  IT. 

Set  a  stout  heart  to  a  stiff  hill,  and  the  waeon  will 
get  to  the  top  of  it.  There's  nothing  so  hard  but  a 
harder  thing  will  get  through  it ;  a  strong  job  can  be 
managed  by  a  strong  resolution.  Have  at  it  and  have 
it.     Stick  to  it  and  succeed.     Till  a  thine  is  done,  men 


376  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

wonder  that  you  think  it  can  be  done,  and  when  you 
have  done  it  they  wonder  it  was  never  done  before. 

In  my  picture  the  wagon  is  drawn  by  two  horses; 
but  I  would  have  every  man  who  wants  to  make  his 
way  in  hfe  pull  as  if  all  depended  on  himself.  Very 
litde  is  done  right  when  it  is  left  to  other  people. 
The  more  hands  to  do  work  the  less  there  is  done. 
One  man  will  carry  two  pails  of  water  for  himself;  two 
men  will  only  carry  one  pail  between  them  ;  and  three 
will  come  home  with  never  a  drop  at  all,  A  child  with 
several  mothers  will  die  before  it  runs  alone.  Know 
your  business  and  give  your  mind  to  it,  and  you  will 
find  a  buttered  loaf  where  a  sluo^orard  loses  his  last 
crust. 

In  these  times  it's  no  use  being  a  farmer  if  you 
don't  mean  work.  The  days  are  gone  by  for  gentle- 
men to  make  a  fortune  off  of  a  farm  by  going  out 
shooting  half  their  time.  If  foreign  wheats  keep  on 
coming  in,  farmers  will  soon  learn  that, — 

"He  who  by  the  plough  would  thrive. 
Himself  must  either  hold  or  drive." 

Going  to  Australia  is  of  no  use  to  a  man  if  he 
carries  a  set  of  lazy  bones  with  him.  There's  a  living 
to  be  got  in  old  England  at  almost  any  trade  if  a  fellow 
will  give  his  mind  to  it.  A  man  who  works  hard 
^and  has  his  health  and  strength  is  a  great  deal  hap- 
pier than  my  lord  Tom  Noddy,  who  does  nothing 
and  is  always  ailing.  Do  you  know  the  old  song  of 
"  The  Nobleman's  Generous  Kindness  ?  "  You  should 
hear  our  Will  sing  it.     I  recollect  some  of  the  verses. 


JOHN   PLOUGHMAN  S   TALK. 


377 


The   first   one  gives  a  picture  of  the  hard-working 
laborer  with  a  large  family,— 

"  Thus  careful  and  constant,  each  morning  he  went. 
Unto  his  day  labor  wiih  joy  and  content ; 
So  jocular  and  jolly  he'd  whistle  and  sing. 
As  blithe  and  as  brisk  as  the  birds  in  the  spring." 


The  other  lines  are  the  ploughman's  own  story  of  how 
he  spent  his  life,  and  I  wish  that  all  countrymen  could 
say  the  same, — 

"  I  reap  and  I  mow,  I  harrow  and  I  sow. 
Sometimes  a-hedging  and  ditching  I  go  • 
No  work  comes  amiss,  for  I  thrash  and  I  plough. 
Thus  my  bread  I  do  earn  by  the  sweat  of  my  brovr. 


378  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

**  My  wife  she  is  willing  to  pull  in  a  yoke,     ' 
We  live  like  two  lambs,  nor  each  other  provoke; 
We  both  of  us  strive,  like  the  laboring  ant, 
And  do  our  endeavors  to  keep  us  from  want. 

**  And  when  I  come  home  from  my  labor  at  night. 
To  my  wife  and  my  children  in  whom  I  delight, 
I  see  them  come  round  me  with  prattling  noise. 
Now  these  are  the  riches  a  poor  man  enjoys. 

"  Though  I  am  as  weary  as  weary  may  be, 
The  youngest  I  commonly  dance  on  my  kneej 
I  find  in  content  a  continual  feast, 
And  never  repine  at  my  lot  in  the  least." 

So,  you  see,  the  poor  laborer  may  work  hard  and 
be  happy  all  the  same ;  and  surely  those  who  are  in 
higher  stations  may  do  the  like  if  they  like. 

He  is  a  sorry  dog  who  wants  game  and  will  not 
hunt  for  it;  let  us  never  lie  down  in  idle  despair,  but 
follow  on  till  we  succeed. 

"Uttle  Sweat,  Little  Sweet." 

Rome  was  not  built  in  a  day,  nor  much  else,  unless 
it  be  a  dog-kennel.  Things  which  cost  no  pains  are 
slender  eains.  Where  there  has  been  little  sweat 
there  will  be  little  sweet.  Jonah's  gourd  came  up  in 
a  night,  but  then  it  perished  in  a  night.  Light  come, 
light  go ;  that  which  flies  in  at  one  window  will  be 
likely  to  fly  cut  at  another.  It's  a  very  lean  hare  that 
hounds  catch  without  running  for  it,  and  a  sheep  that 
is  no  trouble  to  shear  has  very  little  wool.  For  this 
reason  a  man  who  cannot  push  on  against  wind  and 
weather  stands  a  poor  chance  in  this  world. 

Perseverance  is  the  main  thing  in  life.  To  hold  on, 
and  hold  out  to  the  end,  is  the  chief  matter.     If  the 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  379 

race  could  be  won  by  a  spurt,  thousands  would  wear 
the  blue  ribbon  ;  but  they  are  short-winded,  and  pull 
up  after  the  first  gallop.  They  begin  with  flying,  and 
end  in  crawling  backward.  When  it  comes  to  collar 
work,  many  horses  turn  to  jibbing.  If  the  apples  do 
not  fall  at  the  first  shake  of  the  tree,  your  hasty  folks 
are  too  lazy  to  fetch  a  ladder,  and  in  too  much  of  a 
hurry  to  wait  till  the  fruit  is  ripe  enough  to  fall  of 
itself. 

The  hasty  man  is  as  hot  as  fire  at  the  outset,  and 
as  cold  as  ice  at  the  end.  He  is  like  the  Irishman's 
saucepan,  which  had  many  good  points  about  it,  but 
it  had  no  bottom.  He  who  cannot  bear  the  burden 
and  heat  of  the  day  is  not  worth  his  salt,  much  less 
his  potatoes. 

Before  you  begin  a  thing,  make  sure  it  is  the  right 
thinor  to  do :  ask  Mr.  Conscience  about  it.  Do  not 
try  to  do  what  is  impossible :  ask  Common  Sense.  It 
is  of  no  use  to  blow  against  a  hurricane,  or  to  fish  for 
whales  in  a  washing-tub.  Better  give  up  a  foolish 
plan  than  go  on  and  burn  your  fingers  with  it:  better 
bend  your  neck  than  knock  your  forehead. 
Brag-  and  Perseverance. 

But  when  you  have  once  made  up  your  mind  to  go 
a  certain  road,  don't  let  every  molehill  turn  you  out 
of  the  path.  One  stroke  fells  not  an  oak.  Chop  away, 
axe,  you'll  down  with  the  tree  at  last !  A  bit  of  iron 
does  not  Foften  the  moment  you  put  it  into  the  fire. 
Blow,  smith  !  Put  on  more  coals  !  Get  it  red  hot  and 
hit  hard  with  the  hammer,  and  you  will  make  a  plough- 


880  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

share  yet.  Steady  does  it.  Hold  on,  and  you  have 
it!  Brag  is  a  fine  fellow  at  crying  "  Tally-ho !"  but 
Perseverance  brinors  home  the  brush. 

We  ought  not  to  be  put  out  of  heart  by  difficulties : 
they  are  sent  on  purpose  to  try  the  stuff  we  are  made 
of;  and  depend  upon  it  they  do  us  a  world  of  good. 
There's  a  sound  reason  why  there  are  bones  in  our 
meat  and  stones  in  our  land.  A  world  where  every- 
thing was  easy  would  be  a  nursery  for  babies,  but  not 
at  all  a  fit  place  for  men.  Celery  is  not  sweet  till  it 
has  felt  a  frost,  and  men  don't  come  to  their  perfection 
till  disappointment  has  dropped  a  half-hundred  weight 
or  two  on  their  toes. 

Who  would  know  good  horses  if  there  were  no 
heavy  loads  ?  If  the  clay  was  not  stiff,  my  old  Dapper 
and  Violet  would  be  thougrht  no  more  of  than  Tom- 
kin's  donkey.  Besides,  to  work  hard  for  success  makes 
us  fit:  to  bear  it :  we  enjoy  the  bacon  all  the  more 
because  we  have  got  an  appetite  by  earning  it.  When 
prosperity  pounces  on  a  man  like  an  eagle,  it  often 
throws  him  down.  If  we  overtake  the  cart,  it  is  a  fine 
thing  to  get  up  and  ride;  but  when  it  comes  behind 
us  at  a  tearing  rate,  it  is  very  apt  to'  knock  us  down 
and  run  over  us,  and  when  we  are  lifted  into  it  we 
find  our  leg  is  broken,  or  our  arm  out  of  joint,  and  we 
cannot  enjoy  the  ride. 

Patient  Waiting-. 

Work  is  always  healthier  for  us  than  idleness ;  it  is 
always  better  to  wear  out  shoes  than  sheets.  I  some- 
times think,  when  I  put  on  my  considering  cap,  that 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  381 

success  in  life  Is  something  like  getting  married :  there's 
a  very  great  deal  of  pleasure  in  the  courting,  and  it  is 
not  a  bad  thing  when  it  is  a  moderate  time  on  the 
road.  Therefore,  young  man,  learn  to  wait,  and  work 
on.  Don't  throw  away  your  rod,  the  fish  will  bite 
some  time  or  other.  The  cat  watches  long  at  the  hole, 
but  catches  the  mouse  at  last. 

The  spider  mends  her  broken  web,  and  the  flies  are 
taken  before  long.  Stick  to  your  calling,  plod  on  and 
be  content ;  for,  make  sure,  if  you  can  undergo  you 
shall  overcome. 

If  bad  be  your  prospects,  don't  sit  still  and  cry. 
But  jump  up,  and  say  to  yourself,  "  I  will  try." 

Miracles  will  never  cease  !  My  neighbor,  Simon 
Gripper,  was  taken  generous  about  three  months  ago. 
The  "Story  is  w^ell  worth  telling.  He  saw  a  poor  blind 
man,  led  by  a  little  girl,  playing  on  a  fiddle.  His 
heart  was  touched,  for  a  wonder.  He  said  to  me, 
"  Ploughman,  lend  me  a  penny,  there's  a  good  fellow." 
I  fumbled  in  my  pocket,  and  found  two  halfpence,  and 
handed  them  to  him.  More  fool  I,  for  he  will  never 
pay  me  again.  He  gave  the  blind  fiddler  one  of  those 
halfpence,  and  kept  the  other,  and  I  have  not  seen 
either  Gripper  or  my  penny  since,  nor  shall  I  get  the 
money  back  till  the  gate-post  outside  my  garden 
grows  RIbstone  pippins.     There's  generosity  for  you  ! 

Poor  as  a  Cliurcli  Mouse. 

The  old  saying  which  is  put  at  the  top  of  this  bit  of 
talk  brought  him  into  my  mind,  for  he  sticks  to  it  most 
certainly :  he  lives  as  badly  as  a  church  mouse,  and 


382  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

works  as  hard  as  if  he  was  paid  by  the  piece  and  had 
twenty  children  to  keep ;  but  I  would  no  more  hold 
him  up  for  an  example  than  I  would  show  a  toad  as  a 
specimen  of  a  pretty  bird.  When  I  talk  to  you  yeung 
people  about  getting  on,  I  don't  want  you  to  think  that 
hoarding  up  money  is  real  success ;  nor  do  I  wish  you 
to  rise  an  inch  above  an  honest  ploughman's  lot.  if  it 
cannot  be  done  widiout  being  mean  or  wicked.  The 
workhouse,  prison  as  it  is,  is  a  world  better  than  a 
mansion  built  by  roguery  and  greed. 

If  you  cannot  get  on  honestly,  be  satisfied  not  to  get 
on.  The  blessing  of  God  is  riches  enough  for  a  wise 
man,  and  all  the  world  is  not  enough  for  a  fool.  Old 
Gripper's  notion  of  how  to  prosper  has,  I  dare  say,  a 
great  deal  of  truth  in  it,  and  the  more's  the  pity.  The 
Lord  deliver  us  from  such  a  prospering,  I  say.  That 
old  sinner  has  often  hummed  these  lines  into  my  ears 
when  we  have  got  into  an  argument,  and  very  pretty 
lines  they  are  not,  certainly: 

"  To  win  the  prize  in  the  world's  great  race, 
A  man  should  have  a  brazen  face ; 
An  iron  arm  to  give  a  stroke, 
And  a  heart  as  sturdy  as  an  oak ; 
Eyes  like  a  cat,  good  in  the  dark, 
And  teeth  as  piercing  as  a  shark ; 
Ears  to  hear  the  gentlest  sound, 
Like  moles  that  burrow  in  the  ground; 
A  mouth  as  close  as  patent  locks, 
And  stomach  stronger  than  an  ox ; 
His  tongue  should  be  a  razor-blade, 
His  conscience  india-rubber  made* 
His  blood  as  cold  as  oolar  ice. 
His  hand  as  graspmg  as  a  vi«. 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  883 

His  shoulders  should  be  adequate 
To  bear  a  couple  thousand  weight ; 
His  legs,  like  pillars,  firm  and  strong, 
To  move  the  great  machine  along; 
With  supple  knees  to  cringe  and  crawl, 
And  cloven  feet  placed  under  all." 

It  amounts  to  this :  Be  a  devil  in  order  to  be  happy. 
Sell  yourself  outright  to  the  old  dragon,  and  he  will 
give  you  the  world  and  the  glory  thereof.  But  remem- 
ber the  question  of  the  old  Book :  "  What  shall  it 
profit  a  man,  if  he  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his 
own  soul  ?  '* 


ALL  IS  LOST    THAT  IS    POURED  INTO    A  CRACKED 

DISH. 

Cook  is  wasting  her  precious  liquor,  for  it  runs  out 
almost  as  fast  as  it  runs  in.  The  sooner  she  stops 
that  game  the  better.  This  makes  me  think  of  a  good 
deal  of  preaching;  it  is  labor  in  vain,  because  it  does 
not  stay  in  the  minds  of  the  hearers,  but  goes  in  at 
one  ear  and  out  at  the  other.  When  men  eo  to  market 
they  are  all  alive  to  do  a  trade,  but  in  a  place  of  wor- 
ship they  are  not  more  than  half  awake,  and  do  not 
seem  to  care  whether  they  profit  or  not  by  what  they 
hear. 

I  once  heard  a  preacher  say,  "Half  of  you  are  asleep, 
half  are  inattentive,  and  the  rest — "  He  never 
finished  that  sentence,  for  the  people  began  to  smile, 
and  here  and  there  one  burst  out  laughing.  Certainly, 
many  only  go  to  meeting  to  stare  about. 


384  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

**  Attend  your  church,  the  parson  cries ; 
To  church  each  fair  one  goes ; 
The  old  ones  go  to  close  their  eyes. 
The  young  to  eye  their  clothes." 

You  might  as  well  preach  to  the  stone  images  in  the 
old  church  as  to  people  who  are  asleep.  Some  old 
fellows  come  into  our  meeting,  pitch  into  their  corner. 


and  settle  themselves  down  for  a  quiet  snooze  as 
knowingly  as  if  the  pew  was  a  sleeping-car  on  the  rail- 
way. Still,  all  the  sleeping  at  service  is  not  the  fault 
of  the  poor  people,  for  some  parsons  put  a  lot  of 
sleeping  stuff  into  their  sermons.  Will  Shepherd  says 
they  mesmerize  the  people.  (I  think  that  is  the  right 
word,  but  I'm  not  sure.)     1  saw  a  verse  in  a  real  live 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  385 

book,  by  Mr.  Cheales,  the  vicar  of  Brockham,  a  place 
which  is  handy  to  my  home.     I'll  give  it  you  : — 

"  The  ladies  praise  our  curate's  eyes : 
I  never  see  their  light  divine, 
For  when  he  prays  he  closes  them, 
And  when  he  preaches  closes  mine." 

Well,  if  curates  are  heavy  in  style,  the  people  will 
soon  be  heavy  in  sleep.  Even  when  hearers  are 
awake,  many  of  them  are  forgetful.  It  is  like  pouring 
a  jug  of  ale  between  the  bars  of  a  gridiron,  to  try  and 
teach  them  good  doctrine.  Water  on  a  duck's  back 
does  have  some  effect,  but  sermons  by  the  hundred 
are  as  much  lost  upon  many  men's  hearts  as  if  they 
had  been  spoken  to  a  kennel  of  hounds.  Preaching 
to  some  fellows  is  like  whipping  the  water  or  lashing 
the  air.  As  well  talk  to  a  turnip,  or  whistle  to  a  dead 
donkey,  as  preach  to  these  dull  ears.  A  year's  ser- 
mons will  not  produce  an  hour's  repentance  till  the 
grace  of  God  comes  in.  ^ 

**ATgii'yins  »*  About  Doctrine. 

We  have  a  good  many  hangers-on  who  think  that 
their  duty  to  God  consists  in  hearing  sermons,  and 
that  the  best  fruit  of  their  hearing  is  to  talk  of  what 
they  have  heard.  How  they  do  lay  the  law  down  when 
they  get  argifying  about  doctrines  !  Their  religion  all 
runs  to  ear  and  tongue;  neither  their  heart  nor  their 
hand  is  a  scrap  the  better.  This  is  poor  work,  and 
will  never  pay  the  piper.  The  sermon  which  only  gets 
as  far  as  the  ear  is  like  a  dinner  eaten  in  a  dream.  It 
is  ill  to  lie  soaking  in  the  gospel  like  a  bit  of  coal  in 
a  milkpan,  never  the  whiter  for  it  all. 

25 


886 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 


What  can  be  the  good  of  being  hearers  only  ?  It 
disappoints  the  poor  preacher,  and  it  brings  no  bless- 
ing to  the  man  himself.  Looking  at  a  plum  won't 
sweeten  your  mouth,  staring  at  a  coat  won't  cover  your 
back,  and  lying  on  the  bank  won't  catch  the  fish  in 
ithe  river.  The  cracked  dish  is  never  the  better  for  all 
that  is  poured  into  it;  it  is  like  our  forgetful  heart,  it 
wants  to  be  taken  away,  and  a  new  one  put  instead 
of  it. 


A  BLACK  HEN  LAYS  A  WHITE  EGG. 

The  esfof  is  white  enouofh,  though  the  hen  is  black 
as  a  coal.     This  is  a  very  simple  thing,  but  it  has 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  3S7 

pleased  the  simple  mind  of  John  Ploughman,  and 
made  him  cheer  up  when  things  have  gone  hard  with 
him.  Out  of  evil  comes  Sfood,  throug^h  the  pfreat  grood- 
ness  of  God.  From  threatening  clouds  we  get  refresh- 
ing showers  ;  in  dark  mines  men  find  bright  jewels ; 
and  so  from  our  worst  troubles  come  our  best  bless- 
ings. The  bitter  cold  sweetens  the  ground,  and  the 
Touofh  winds  fasten  the  roots  of  the  old  oaks.  God 
sends  us  letters  of  love  in  envelopes  with  black  bor- 
ders. Many  a  time  have  I  plucked  sweet  fruit  from 
bramble-bushes,  and  taken  lovely  roses  from  among 
prickly  thorns.  Trouble  is  to  believing  men  and 
women  like  the  sweetbrier  in  our  hedges,  and  where 
it  grows  there  is  a  delicious  smell  all  around,  if  the  dew 
do  but  fall  upon  it  from  above. 

Cheer  up,  mates,  all  will  come  right  in  the  end. 
The  darkest  niorht  will  turn  to  a  fair  morninof  in  due 
time.  Only  let  us  trust  in  God,  and  keep  our  heads 
above  the  waves  of  fear.  When  our  hearts  are  right 
with  God  everything  is  right.  Let  us  look  for  the 
silver  which  lines  every  cloud,  and  when  we  do  not  see 
it  let  us  believe  that  it  is  there.  We  are  all  at  school, 
and  our  great  Teacher  writes  many  a  bright  lesson  on 
the  blackboard  of  affliction. 

Scant  fare  teaches  us  to  live  on  heavenly  bread, 
sickness  bids  us  send  off  for  the  good  Physician,  loss 
of  friends  makes  Jesus  more  precious,  and  even  the 
sinking  of  our  spirits  brings  us  to  live  more  entirely 
UDon  God.  All  thinofs  are  workino-  togrether  for  the 
good  of  those  who  love  God,  and  even  death  itself 


388 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 


will  brinor  them  their  highest  gain.     Thus  the  black 
hen  lays  a  white  egg, 

"  Since  all  that  I  meet  shall  work  for  my  good. 
The  bitter  is  sweet,  the  medicine  is  food ; 
Though  painful  at  present,  'twill  cease  before  long. 
And  then,  oh  how  pleasant  the  conqueror's  song  I  " 

HE  HAS  GOT  THE  FIDDLE,  BUT  NOT  THE  STICK. 

It  often  comes  to  pass  that  a  man  steps  into 
another's  shoes,  and  yet  cannot  walk  in  them.  A  poor 
t^jol  of  a  parson  gets  into  a  good  man's  pulpit,  and 


takes  the  same  texts,  but  the  sermons  are  chalk,  and 
not  cheese.  A  half-baked  young  swell  inherits  his 
father's  money,  but  not  his  generosity,  his  barns,  but 


JOHN    ploughman's   TALK.  389 

not  his  brains,  his  title,  but  not  his  sense, — he  has  the 
fiddle  without  the  stick,  and  the  more's  the  pity. 

Some  people  imagine  that  they  have  only  to  get 
hold  of  the  plough-handles,  and  they  would  soon  beat 
John  Ploughman.  If  they  had  his  fiddle  they  are  sure 
they  could  play  on  it.  J.  P.  presents  his  compliments, 
and  wishes  he  may  be  there  when  it  is  done. 

"  That  I  fain  would  see, 
Quoth  blind  George  of  Hollowee." 

However,  between  you  and  me  and  the  bedpost,  there 
is  one  secret  which  John  does  not  mind  letting  out. 
John's  fiddle  is  poor  enough,  but  the  stick  is  a  right 
good  one,  too  good  to  be  called  a  fiddlestick.  Do  you 
want  to  see  the  stick  with  which  John  plays  his  fiddle  ? 
Here  it  is — Looking  to  God  for  help,  John  always  tries 
to  do  his  best,  whatever  he  has  to  do,  and  he  has 
found  this  to  be  the  very  best  way  to  play  all  kinds  of 
tunes.  What  little  music  there  is  in  John's  poor  old 
fiddle  comes  out  of  it  in  that  way.  Listen  to  a  scrape 
or  two : 

If  I  were  a  cobbler,  I'd  make  it  my  pride 

The  best  of  all  cobblers  to  be ; 
If  I  were  a  tinker,  no  tinker  beside 

Should  mend  an  old  kettle  like  me. 

And  being  a  ploughman,  I  plough  with  the  best. 

No  furrows  run  straighter  than  mine ; 
I  waste  not  a  moment,  and  stay  not  to  rest,  * 

Though  idlers  to  tempt  me  combine. 

Yet  I  wish  not  to  boast,  for  trust  I  have  none 

In  aught  I  can  do  or  can  be ; 
I  rest  in  my  Saviour,  and  what  He  has  done 

To  ransom  poor  sinners  like  me. 


890 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 


"GREAT  CRY  AND  LITTLE  WOOL,"  AS  THE  MAN  SAID 
WHO  CLIPPED  THE  SOW. 

Our  friend  Hodge  does  not  seem  to  be  making 
much  of  an  out  at  shearing.  It  will  take  him  all  his 
time  to  get  wool  enough  for  a  blanket,  and  his  neigh- 
bors are  telling  him  so :  but  he  does  not  heed  them, 
for  a  man  never  listens  to  reason  when  he  has  made 


up  his  mind  to  act  unreasonably.  Hodge  gets  plenty 
of  music  of  a  sort:  Hullah's  system  is  nothing  to  it, 
and  even  Nebuchadnezzar's  flutes,  harps,  sackbuts, 
and  dulcimers  could  not  make  more  din.  He  gets 
"  cry  "  enough  to  stock  a  Babylon  of  babies,  but  not 
wool  enough  to  stop  his  ears  with. 


JOHN   ploughman's  TALK.  391 

Now  IS  not  this  very  like  the  world  with  its  notions 
of  pleasure  ?  There  is  noise  enough :  laughter  and 
shouting  and  boasting;  but  where  is  the  comfort 
which  can  warm  the  heart  and  give  peace  to  the  spirit? 
Generally  there's  plenty  of  smoke  and  very  little  fire 
in  what  is  called  pleasure.  It  promises  a  nag  and 
gives  an  egg.  Gayety  is  a  sort  of  flash  in  the  pan,  a 
fifth-of-November  squib,  all  fizz  and  bang  and  done 
for.  The  devil's  meat  is  all  bran,  and  the  world's  wine 
turns  to  vinegar.  It  is  always  making  a  great  noise 
over  nutshells.  Thousands  have  had  to  weep  over 
their  blunder  in  looking  for  their  heaven  on  earth; 
but  they  follow  each  other  like  sheep  through  a  gap, 
not  a  bit  the  wiser  for  the  experience  of  geneicviions. 

It  seems  that  every  man  must  have  a  clip  at  his  own 
particular  pig,  and  cannot  be  made  to  believe  that, 
like  all  the  rest,  it  will  yield  him  nothing  but  bristles. 
Men  are  not  all  of  one  mind  as  to  what  is  best  for 
them ;  they  no  more  agree  than  the  clocks  in  our  vil- 
lage, but  they  all  hang  together  in  following  after  van- 
ity, for  to  the  core  of  their  hearts  they  are  vain. 

One  shears  the  publican's  hog,  which  is  so  fond  of 
the  swill-tub,  and  he  reckons  upon  bringing  home  a 
wonderful  lot  of  wool ;  but  everybody  knows  that  he 
who  goes  to  the  "Woolpack  "  for  wool  will  come  home 
shorn;  the  "Blue  Boar"  is  an  uncommonly  ugly 
animal  to  shear,  and  so  is  the  "  Red  Lion."  Better 
sheer  off  as  fast  as  you  can  ;  it  will  be  sheer  folly  to  , 
stop.  You  may  loaf  about  the  tap  of  the  "  Half-moon  " 
till  you  get  the  full  moon  in  your  noodle,  and  need  a 


392  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

keeper ;  it  is  the  place  for  men  whose  wits  go  wool* 
gathering,  but  wool  there  is  none. 

Another  is  covetous,  and  hopes  to  escape  misery  by 
being  a  miser ;  his  greedy  mind  can  no  more  be  filled 
than  a  lawyer's  purse ;  he  never  has  enough,  and  so 
he  never  has  a  feast.  He  makes  money  with  his 
teeth,  by  keeping  them  idle.  That  is  a  very  lean  hog 
to  clip  at,  for  poverty  wants  some  things,  luxury  many 
things,  but  covetousness  wants  all  things.  If  we  could 
hoard  up  all  the  money  in  the  world,  what  would  it  be 
to  us  at  last?  To-day  at  good  cheer,  to-morrow  on 
the  bier ;  in  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in  death. 

Some,  like  old  Mrs.  Too-good,  go  in  for  self-right- 
eousness, and  their  own  mouths  dub  them  saints. 
They  are  the  pink  of  perfection,  the  cream  of  creation, 
the  gems  of  their  generation,  and  yet  a  sensible  man 
would  not  live  in  the  same  house  with  them  for  all  the 
money  you  could  count. 

A  Saint  Abroad  and  a  Devil  at  Home. 

They  are  saints  abroad,  but  ask  their  maids  what 
they  are  at  home.  Great  cry  and  little  wool  is  common 
enough  in  religion :  you  will  find  that  those  who  crack 
themselves  up  are  generally  cracked,  and  those  who 
despise  their  neighbors  come  to  be  despised  them- 
selves. 

Many  try  wickedness,  and  run  into  bad  company, 
and  rake  the  kennels  of  vice,  I  warrant  you  they  may 
shear  the  whole  sty-ful  of  filthy  creatures  and  never 
find  a  morsel  of  wool  on  the  whole  lot  of  them.  Loose 
characters,  silly  amusements,  gambling,  wantonness, 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  893 

and  such  like,  are  swine  that  none  but  a  fool  will  try 
his  shears  upon.  I  don't  deny  that  there's  plenty  of 
swinish  music, — who  ever  expected  that  there  would 
be  silence  in  a  piggery  ?  But  then  noise  cannot  fill 
the  heart,  nor  laughter  lighten  the  soul. 

John  Ploughman  has  tried  for  himself,  and  he  knows 
by  experience  that  all  the  world  is  nothing  but  a  hog 
that  is  not  worth  the  shearing :  "  Vanity  of  vanities, 
all  is  vanity."  But  yet  there  is  wool  to  be  had :  there 
are  real  joys  to  be  got  for  the  asking  if  we  ask  aright. 
Below,  all  things  deceive  us,  but  above  us  there  is  a 
true  Friend.  "  Wherefore  do  ye  spend  your  money 
for  that  which  is  not  bread,  and  your  labor  for  that 
which  satisfieth  not  ? "  This  is  John  Ploughman's 
verdict,  which  he  wishes  all  his  readers  to  take  note 
of— 

"  Faith  in  Jesus  Christ  will  give 
Sweetest  pleasures  while  we  live  { 
Faith  in  Jesus  must  supply 
Solid  comfort  when  we  die.'* 

YOU   CAN'T  CATCH  THE  WIND  IN  A  NET. 

Some  people  get  windmills  in  their  heads  and  go  in 
for  all  sorts  of  silly  things.  They  talk  of  ruling  the 
nation  as  if  men  were  to  be  driven  like  sheep,  and 
they  prate  of  reforms  and  systems  as  if  they  could  cut 
out  a  world  In  brown  paper  with  a  pair  of  scissors. 
Such  a  body  thinks  himself  very  deep,  but  he  is  as 
shallow  as  a  milkpan.  You  can  soon  know  him  as 
well  as  if  you  had  gone  through  him  with  a  lighted 
candle,  and  yet  you  will  not  know  a  great  deal  after 


894  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

all.  He  has  a  great  head,  and  very  little  in  it.  He 
can  talk  by  the  dozen  or  the  gross,  and  say  nothing. 
When  he  is  fussing  and  boasting  of  his  fine  doings, 
you  soon  discover  that  he  makes  a  long  harvest  of 
very  litde  corn.  His  tongue  is  like  a  pig's  tail,  going 
all  day  long  and  nothing  done. 

Falling  into  the  Ditch. 

This  is  the  man  who  can  pay  off  the  national  debt, 
and  yet,  in  his  litde  shop  he  sells  two  apples  in  three 
days;  he  has  the  secret  of  high  farming,  and  loses 
more  at  it  than  any  man  in  the  county.  The  more  he 
studies  the  more  he  misses  the  mark ;  he  reminds  me 
of  a  blind  man  on  a  blind  horse,  who  rode  out  in  the 
middle  of  a  dark  night,  and  the  more  he  tried  to  keep 
out  of  ditches  the  more  he  fell  in. 

When  they  catch  live  red  herrings  on  Newmarket 
Heath  he  will  bring  out  a  good  thing,  and  line  his 
pockets  with  gold ;  up  till  now,  he  says,  he  has  been 
unlucky,  and  he  believes  that  if  he  were  to  make  a 
man  a  coffin  he  would  be  sure  not  to  die.  He  is  going 
to  be  rich  next  year,  and  you  will  then  see  what  you 
shall  see:  just  now  he  would  be  glad  of  half  a  crown 
on  account,  for  which  he  will  give  you  a  share  in  his 
invention  for  growing  wheat  without  ploughing  or 
sowing. 

It  is  odd  to  see  this  wise  man  at  times  when  his  wits 
are  all  up  in  the  moon :  he  is  just  like  Chang  the  Chi- 
naman, who  said,  "  Here's  my  umbrella,  and  here's  my 
bundle;  but  where  am  If  He  cannot  find  his  spec- 
tacles, though  he  is  looking  through  them ;  and  when 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK. 


895 


he  is  out  riding  on  his  own  ass,  he  pulls  up  and  says, 
"  Wherever  is  that  donkey  ?  " 

I  have  heard  of  one  learned  man  who  boiled  his 
watch  and  stood  looking  at  the  Ggg,  and  another  who 
forgot  that  he  was  to  be  married  that  day,  and  would 


have  lost  his  lady  if  his  friend  had  not  fetched  him  out 
of  his  study.  Think  of  that,  my  boy,  and  don't  fret 
yourself  because  you  are  not  so  overdone  with  learn- 
ing as  to  have  forgotten  your  common  sense. 

Always  Layings  and  Never  Hatching^. 

The  regular  wind-catcher  is  soft  as  silk  and  as  green 
as  grass,  and  yet  he  thinks  himself  very  long-headed; 
and  so  indeed  he  would  be  if  his  ears  were  taken  into 


396  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

the  measurement.  He  is  going  to  do — well — there's 
no  telling  what.  He  is  full  of  wishes  but  short  of 
will,  and  so  his  buds  never  come  to  flowers  or  fruit. 
He  is  like  a  hen  that  lays  eggs,  and  never  sits  on  them 
long  enough  to  hatch  a,  single  chick. 

Moonshine  is  the  article  our  friend  deals  in,  and  it 
is  wonderful  what  he  can  see  by  it.  He  cries  up  his 
schemes,  and  it  is  said  that  he  draws  on  his  imagina- 
tion for  his  facts.  When  he  is  in  full  swingr  with  one 
of  his  notions,  he  does  not  stick  at  a  trifle.  Will 
Shepherd  heard  one  of  these  gentry  the  other  day 
telling  how  his  new  company  would  lead  all  the  share- 
holders on  to  Tom  Tiddler's  ground  to  pick  up  gold 
and  silver ;  and  when  all  the  talk  was  over,  Will  said 
to  me,  "  That's  a  lie  with  the  lid  on,  and  a  brass  handle 
to  take  hold  of  it."  Rather  sharp  this  of  Will,  for  I 
do  believe  the  man  was  caught  on  his  own  hook,  and 
believed  in  his  own  dreams ;  yet  I  did  not  like  him, 
for  he  wanted  us  poor  fellows  to  put  our  little  savings 
into  his  hands,  as  if  he  could  afford  to  fly  kites  with 
laborers'  wages. 

Wonderful  Schemes. 

What  a  many  good  people  there  are  who  have  re» 
ligious  crazes  !  They  do  nothing,  but  they  have  won- 
derful plans  for  doing  everything  in  a  jiffy.  So  many 
thousand  people  are  to  give  half  a  crown  each,  and 
so  many  more  a  crown,  and  so  many  more  a  sovereign, 
and  the  meeting-house  is  to  be  built  just  so,  and  no- 
how else.  The  mischief  is  that  the  thousands  of  people 
do  not  rush  forward  with  their  money,  and  the  minister 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  S97 

and  a  few  hard-working  friends  have  to  get  it  together 
little  by  litde  in  the  old-fashioned  style,  while  your 
wonderful  schemer  slinks  out  of  the  way  and  gives 
nothing. 

I  have  long  ago  found  out  that  pretty  things  on  pa- 
per had  better  be  kept  there.  Our  master's  eldest 
son  had  a  plan  for  growing  plum-trees  in  our  hedges 
as  they  do  in  Kent;  but  he  never  looked  to  see 
whether  the  soil  would  suit,  and  so  he  lost  the  trees 
which  he  put  in,  and  there  was  an  end  of  his  damsons. 

"  Circumstances  alter  cases; 
Different  ways  suit  different  places." 

New  brooms  sweep  clean,  but  they  mostly  sweep 
up  dirt.  Plough  with  what  you  please,  I  stick  to  the 
old  horses  which  have  served  me  so  well.  Fine 
schemes  come  to  nothing;  it  is  hard  work  that  does  it, 
whether  it  be  in  the  world  or  in  the  Church. 

"  In  the  laborious  husbandman  you  see 
Wliat  all  true  Christians  are  or  ought  to  be." 

NEVER    STOP    THE   PLOUGH    TO    CATCH  A  MOUSE. 

There's  not  much  profit  in  this  game.  Think  of  a 
man  and  a  boy  and  four  horses  all  standing  still  for 
the  sake  of  a  mouse !  What  would  old  friend  Tusser 
say  to  that  ?     I  think  he  would  rhyme  in  this  fashion : 

A  ploughman  deserveth  a  cut  of  the  whip, 
If  for  idle  pretence  he  let  the  hours  slip. 

Heaps  of  people  act  like  the  man  in  our  picture.     They 
have  a  great  work  in  hand  which  wants  all  their  wits. 


898 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 


and  they  leave  it  to  squabble  over  some  pretty  nothing, 
not  worth  a  fig.     Old  Master  Tom  would  say  to  them : 

No  more  tittle-tattle,  go  on  with  your  cattle. 

He  could  not  bear  for  a  farmer  to  let  his  horses  out 
for  carting  even,  because  it  took  their  work  away  from 
the  farm,  and  so  I  am  sure  he  would  be  in  a  great  stew 


if  he  saw  farmers  wasting  their  time  at  matches  and 
hunts  and  the  like.     He  says : 

"  Who  slacketh  his  tillage  a  carter  to  be, 
For  groat  got  abroad,  at  home  shall  lose  three ; 
For  sure  by  so  doing  he  brings  out  of  heart 
Both  land  for  the  corn  and  horse  for  the  cart." 

The  main  chance  must  be  minded,  and  the  little  things 
must  be  borne  with.     Nobody  would  burn  hjs  house 


JOHN   ploughman's  TALK.  399 

down  to  kill  the  black  beetles,  and  it  would  never 
answer  to  kill  the  bullocks  to  ieed  the  cats.  If  our 
baker  left  off  making  bread  for  a  week  while  he 
cracked  the  cockroaches,  what  should  we  all  do  for 
breakfast?  If  the  butcher  sold  no  more  meat  till  he 
had  killed  all  the  blowflies,  we  should  be  many  a  day 
without  mutton.  If  the  water  companies  never  gave 
the  Londoners  a  drink  till  they  had  fished  every  gud- 
geon out  of  the  Thames,  how  would  the  old  ladies 
make  their  tea?  There's  no  use  in  stopping  your 
fishing  because  of  the  seaweed,  nor  your  riding  because 

of  the  dust. 

A  Grand  Mouse  Hunt. 

Now,  our  minister  said  to  me  the  other  day:  "John, 
if  you  were  on  the  committees  of  some  of  our  societies 
you  would  see  this  mouse-hunting  done  to  perfection. 
Not  only  committees,  but  whole  bodies  of  Christian 
people  go  mouse-hunting."  "  Well,"  said  I,  "  minister, 
just  write  me  a  bit,  and  I  will  stick  it  in  my  book ;  it 
will  be  beef  to  my  horse-radish."     Here's  his  writing: 

"A  society  of  good  Christian  people  will  split  into 

pieces  over  a  petty  quarrel,  or  mere  matter  of  opinion, 

while  all  around  them  the  masses  are  perishing  for 

want  of  the  gospel.     A  miserable  little  mouse,  which 

no   cat  would  ever  hunt,  takes  them  off  from  their 
I 
Lord's  work.      Again,    intelligent    men    will     spend 

months  of  time  and  heaps  of  money  in  inventing  and 

publishing  mere  speculations,  while  the  great  field  of 

the  world  lies  unploughed. 

"They  seem  to  care  nothing  how  many  may  perish 


400  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

SO  long  as  they  can  ride  their  hobbies.  In  other  mat- 
ters a  little  common  sense  is  allowed  to  rule,  but  in 
the  weightiest  matters  foolishness  is  sadly  conspicuous. 
As  for  you  and  me,  John,  let  us  kill  a  mouse  when  it 
nibbles  our  bread,  but  let  us  not  spend  our  lives  over 
it.  What  can  be  done  by  a  mousetrap  or  a  cat  should 
not  occupy  all  our  thoughts. 

"  The  paltry  trifles  of  this  world  are  much  of  the 
same  sort.  Let  us  give  our  chief  attention  to  the 
chief  things, — the  glory  of  God,  the  winning  of  souls 
for  Jesus,  and  our  own  salvation.  There  are  fools 
enough  in  the  world,  and  there  can  be  no  need  that 
Christian  men  should  swell  the  number.  Go  on  with 
your  ploughing,  John,  and  I  will  go  on  with  my  preach- 
ing, and  '  in  due  season  we  shall  reap  if  we  faint  not.'  " 

DON'T  CUT  OFF  YOUR  NOSE  TO  SPITE  YOUR  FACE. 

Anger  is  a  short  madness.  The  less  we  do  when 
we  go  mad  the  better  for  everybody,  and  the  less  we 
go  mad  the  better  for  ourselves.  He  is  far  gone  who 
hurts  himself  to  wreck  his  vengeance  on  others.  The 
old  saying  is:  "Don't  cut  off  your  head  because  it 
aches;"  and  another  says:  "Set  not  your  house  on 
fire  to  spite  the  moon."  If  things  go  awry,  it  is  a  poor 
way  of  mending  to  make  them  worse,  as  the  man  did 
who  took  to  drinking  because  he  could  not  marry  the 
girl  he  liked. 

He  must  be  a  fool  who  cuts  off  his  nose  to  spite  his 
face ;  and  yet  this  is  what  Dick  did  when  he  had 
vexed  his  old  master,  and  because  he  was  chid  must 


JOHN   PLOUGHMAN  S   TALK. 


401 


needs  give  up  his  place,  throw  himself  out  of  work, 
and  starve  his  wife  and  family.  Jane  had  been  idle, 
and  she  knew  it;  but  sooner  than  let  her  mistress 
speak  to  her,  she  gave  warning,  and  lost  as  good  a 
service  as  a  maid  could  wish  for.  Old  Griggs  was 
wrong,  and  could  not  deny  it ;  and  yet  because  the 
parson's  sermon  fitted  him  rather  close,  he  took  the 


sulks,  and  vowed  he  would  never  hear  the  good  man 
again.  It  was  his  own  loss,  but  he  wouldn't  listen  to 
reason,  but  was  as  wilful  as  a  pig. 

Do  nothing  when  you  are  out  of  temper,  and  then 
you  will  have  the  less  to  undo.     Let  a  hasty  man's 
passion  be  a  warning  to  you :  if  he  scalds  you,  take 
26 


402  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

heed  that  you  do  not  let  your  own  pot  boil  over. 
Many  a  man  has  given  himself  a  box  on  the  ear  in  his 
blind  rage ;  ay,  and  ended  his  own  life  out  of  spite ! 
He  who  cannot  curb  his  temper  carries  gunpowder  in 
his  bosom,  and  he  is  neither  safe  for  himself  nor  his 
neighbors. 

When  passion  comes  in  at  the  door,  what  little  sense 
there  is  indoors  flies  out  at  the  window.  By  and  by 
a  hasty  man  cools  and  comes  to  himself,  like  Mac- 
Gibbon's  gruel  when  he  put  it  out  of  the  window ;  but 
if  his  nose  is  off,  in  the  mean  time,  who  is  to  put  it  on 
again  ?  He  will  only  be  sorry  once,  and  that  will  be 
all  the  rest  of  his  life.  Anger  does  a  man  more  hurt 
than  that  which  made  him  angry.  It  opens  his  mouth 
and  shuts  his  eyes,  and  fires  his  heart  and  drowns  his 
sense,  and  makes  his  wisdom  folly. 

Don't  Hunt  for  a  Liost  Temper. 

Old  Tompkins  told  me  that  he  was  sorry  that  he 
lost  his  temper,  and  I  could  not  help  thinking  that  the 
pity  was  that  he  ever  found  it  again,  for  it  was  like  an 
old  shoe  with  the  sole  gone  and  the  upper  leathers 
worn  out,  only  fit  for  a  dunghill.  A  hot-tempered 
man  would  be  all  the  better  for  a  new  heart  and  a 
right  spirit.  Anger  is  a  fire  which  cooks  no  victuals 
and  comforts  no  household  ;  it  cuts  and  curses  and 
'kills,  and  no  one  knows  what  it  may  lead  to  ;  there- 
fore, good  reader,  don't  let  it  lodge  in  your  bosom, 
and  if  it  ever  comes  there,  pass  the  vagrant  on  to  the 
next  parish. 

Gently,  gently,  little  pot; 
Why  so  hasty  to  be  hot? 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  402 

Over  you  will  surely  boil. 

And  I  know  not  what  you'll  spoil. 

The  old  gent  in  our  picture  has  a  fine  nose  of  his 
own,  and  though  he  will  be  a  fool  to  cut  it  off,  he  would 
be  wise  to  cut  off  the  supplies  which  have  made  it 
such  a  size.  That  glass  and  jug  on  the  table  are  the 
paint-pots  that  he  colors  his  nose  with,  and  everybody 
knows,  whether  he  knows  it  or  knows  it  not,  that  his 
nose  is  the  outward  and  visible  sio^n  of  a  orood  deal  of 
inward  and  spirituous  drink,  and  the  sooner  he  drops 
his  drops  the  better.  So  here  we  will  cut  off  not  our 
nose,  but  the  present  subject. 

BEWARE  OF  THE  DOG  I 

John  Ploughman  has  not  wearied  his  friends  by 
preaching;  but  he  makes  bold  to  try  his  hand  at  a 
sermon,  and  hopes  he  will  be  excused  if  it  should 
prove  to  be  only  a  ploughman's  preachment. 

If  this  were  a  regular  sermon — preached  from  a 
pulpit,  of  course — I  should  make  it  long  and  dismal, 
like  a  winter's  night,  for  fear  people  should  call  me 
eccentric.  As  it  is  only  meant  to  be  read  at  home,  I 
wnll  make  it  short,  though  it  will  not  be  sweet,  for  I 
have  not  a  sweet  subject.  The  text  is  one  which  has 
a  great  deal  of  meaning  in  it,  and  is  to  be  read  on 
many  a  wall.  "  Beware  of  the  Dog !"  You  know 
what  dogs  are,  and  you  know  how  you  beware  of 
them  when  a  bull-dog  flies  at  you  to  the  full  length  of 
his  chain  ;  so  the  words  don't  want  any  clearing  up. 

It  is  very  odd  that  the  Bible  never  says  a  good  word 


404  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

for  dogs ;  I  suppose  the  breed  must  have  been  bad  in 
those  eastern  parts,  or  else,  as  our  minister  tells  me,  they 
were  nearly  wild,  had  no  master  in  particular,  and  were 
left  to  prowl  about  half-starved.  No  doubt  a  dog  is  very 
like  a  man,  and  becomes  a  sad  dog  when  he  has  him- 
self for  a  master.  We  are  all  the  better  for  having 
somebody  to  look  up  to  ;  and  those  who  say  they  care 
for  nobody  and  nobody  cares  for  them,  are  dogs  of 
the  worst  breed,  and,  for  a  certain  reason,  are  never 

likely  to  be  drowned. 

Dirty  Dogs. 

Dear  friends,  I  shall  have  heads  and  tails  like  other 
parsons,  and  I  am  sure  I  have  a  right  to  them,  for  they 
are  found  in  the  subjects  before  us. 

Firstly,  let  us  beware  of  a  dirty  dog, — or,  as  the 
grand  old  Book  calls  them,  "  evil  workers," — those  who 
love  filth  and  roll  in  it.  Dirty  dogs  will  spoil  your 
clothes,  and  make  you  as  foul  as  themselves.  A  man 
is  known  by  his  company ;  if  you  go  with  loose  fel- 
lows your  character  will  be  tarred  with  the  same  brush 
as  theirs. 

People  can't  be  very  nice  in  their  distinctions ;  if 
they  see  a  bird  always  flying  with  the  crows,  and  feed- 
ing and  nesting  with  them,  they  call  it  a  crow,  and 
ninety-nine  times  out  of  a  hundred  they  are  right.  If 
you  are  fond  of  the  kennel,  and  like  to  run  with  the 
hounds,  you  will  never  make  the  world  believe  that 
you  are  a  pet  lamb.  Besides,  bad  company  does  a 
man  real  harm,  for,  as  the  old  proverb  has  it,  if  you 
lie  down  with  dogs  you  will  get  up  with  fleas. 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  405 

You  cannot  keep  too  far  off  a  man  with  the  fever 
and  a  man  of  wicked  life.  If  a  lady  in  a  fine  dress 
sees  a  big  dog  come  out  of  a  horse-pond,  and  run 
about  shaking  himself  dry,  she  is  very  particular  to 
keep  out  of  his  way;  and  from  this  we  may  learn  a 
lesson — when  we  see  a  man  half  gone  in  liquor, 
sprinkling  his  dirty  talk  all  around  him,  our  best  place 
is  half  a  mile  off  ac  the  least. 

Unpleasant  Growlers. 

Secondly,  beware  of  all  snarling  dogs.  There  are 
plenty  of  these  about ;  they  are  generally  very  small 
creatures,  but  they  more  than  make  up  for  their  size 
by  their  noise.  They  yap  and  snap  without  end.  Dr. 
Watts  said — 

"  Let  dogs  delight  to  bark  and  bite, 
For  God  has  made  them  so." 

But  I  cannot  make  such  an  excuse  for  the  two-lesjo-ed 
dogs  I  am  writing  about,  for  their  own  vile  tempers 
and  the  devil  together  have  made  them  what  they  are. 
They  find  fault  with  anything  and  everything.  When 
they  dare  they  howl,  and  when  they  cannot  do  that 
they  lie  down  and  growl  inwardly.  Beware  of  these 
creatures  ! 

Make  no  friends  with  an  angry  man  ;  as  well  make 
a  bed  of  stinging-nettles  or  wear  a  viper  for  a  neck- 
lace. Perhaps  the  fellow  is  just  now  very  fond  of 
you  ;  but  beware  of  him,  for  he  who  barks  at  others 
to-day  without  a  cause  will  one  day  howl  at  you  for 
nothing.  Don't  offer  him  a  kennel  down  your  yard 
unless  he  will  let  you  chain  him  up. 


406  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

Chronic  Faultfinders. 

When  you  see  that  a  man  has  a  bitter  spirit,  and 
gives  nobody  a  good  word,  quietly  walk  away  and 
keep  out  of  his  track  if  you  can.  Loaded  guns  and 
quick-tempered  people  are  dangerous  pieces  of  furni- 
ture; they  don't  mean  any  hurt,  but  they  are  apt  to  <yo 
off  and  do  mischief  before  you  dream  of  it.  Better 
go  a  mile  out  of  your  way  than  get  into  a  fight ;  better' 
sit  down  on  a  dozen  tin  tacks  with  their  points  up  than 
dispute  with  an  angry  neighbor. 

Thirdly,  deware  of  fawning  dogs.  They  jump  up 
upon  you  and  leave  the  marks  of  their  dirty  paws. 
How  they  will  lick  your  hand  and  fondle  you  as  long 
as  there  are  bones  to  be  got:  like  the  lover  who 
said  to  the  cook,  "Leave  you,  dear  girl?  Never, 
while  you  have  a  shilling !  "  Too  much  sugar  in  the 
talk  should  lead  us  to  suspect  that  there  is  very  little 
in  the  heart.  The  moment  a  man  praises  you  to  your 
face,  mark  him,  for  he  is  the  very  gentleman  to  rail  at 
you  behind  your  back. 

Fawning-  Puppies. 

If  a  fellow  takes  the  trouble  to  flatter  he  expects  to 
be  paid  for  it,  and  he  calculates  that  he  will  get  his 
wages  out  of  the  soft  brains  of  those  he  tickles.  When 
people  stoop  down  it  generally  is  to  pick  something  i 
up,  and  men  don't  stoop  to  flatter  you  unless  they 
reckon  upon  getting  something  out  of  you.  When 
you  see  too  much  politeness  you  may  generally  smell 
a  rat  if  you  give  a  good  sniff.  Young  people  need  to 
be   on   the   watch   against   crafty  flatterers.     Young 


JoflN  ploughman's  talk.  46t 

women  with  pretty  faces  and  a  little  money  should 
especially  beware  of  puppies. 

Fourthly,  beware  of  a  greedy  dog,  or  a  man  who  never 
has  enough.  Grumbling  is  catching;  one  discontented 
man  sets  others  complaining,  and  this  is  a  bad  state 
of  mind  to  fall  into.  Folks  who  are  greedy  are  not 
always  honest,  and  if  they  see  a  chance  they  will  put 
their  spoon  into  their  neighbor's  porridge ;  why  not 
into  yours  ?  See  how  cleverly  they  skin  a  flint ;  be- 
fore long  you  will  find  them  skinning  you,  and  as  you 
are  not  quite  so  used  to  it  as  the  eels  are,  you  had 
better  give  Mr.  Skinner  a  wide  berth.  When  a  man 
boasts  that  he  never  gives  anything  away,  you  may 
read  it  as  a  caution,  "  Beware  of  the  dog!  " 

Swallowing  Farms  and  Houses. 

A  liberal,  kind-hearted  friend  helps  you  to  keep 
down  your  selfishness,  but  a  greedy  grasper  tempts 
you  to  put  an  extra  button  on  your  pocket.  Hungry 
dogs  will  wolf  down  any  quantity  of  meat,  and  then 
look  out  for  more ;  and  so  will  greedy  men  swallow 
farms  and  houses,  and  then  smell  around  for  some- 
thing else.  I  am  sick  of  the  animals — I  mean  both 
the  dogs  and  the  men.  Talking  of  nothino-  but  g-old. 
and  how  to  make  money  and  how  to  save  it;  why, 
one  had  better  live  with  the  hounds  at  once,  and  howl 
over  your  share  of  dead  horse.  The  mischief  a 
miserly  wretch  may  do  to  a  man's  heart  no  tongue 
can  tell ;  one  might  as  \vell  be  bitten  by  a  mad  dog, 
for  greediness  is  as  bad  a  madness  as  mortal  can  be 
tormented  with.     Keep  out  of  the  company  of  screw- 


408  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

drivers,  tight-fists,  hold-fasts,  and  bloodsuckers :  "  Be- 
ware of  dogs." 

Fifthly,  beware  of  a  yelping  dog.  Those  who  talk 
much  tell  a  great  many  lies,  and  if  you  love  truth  you 
had  better  not  love  them.  Those  who  talk  much  are 
likely  enough  to  speak  ill  of  their  neighbors,  and  of 
yourself  among  the  rest;  and  therefore,  if  you  do  not 
want  to  be  town  talk,  you  will  be  wise  to  find  other 
friends. 

Lodg-ers  in  Clack  Street. 

Mr.  Prate-apace  will  weary  you  out  one  day,  and 
you  will  be  wise  to  break  off  his  acquaintance  before 
it  is  made.  Do  not  lodge  in  Clack  street,  nor  next  door 
to  the  Gossip's  Head.  A  lion's  jaw  is  nothing  com- 
pared to  a  tale-bearer's.  If  you  have  a  dog  which  is 
always  barking,  and  should  chance  to  lose  him,  don't 
spend  a  penny  in  advertising  for  him.  Few  are  the 
blessings  which  are  poured  upon  dogs  which  howl  all 
night  and  wake  up  honest  householders,  but  even 
these  can  be  better  put  up  with  than  those  incessant 
chatterers  who  never  let  a  man's  character  rest  either 
day  or  night. 

Sixthly,  beware  of  a  dog  that  worries  the  sheep.  Such 
get  into  our  churches,  and  cause  a  world  of  misery. 
Some  have  new  doctrines  as  rotten  as  they  are  new ; 
others  have  new  plans,  whims,  and  crotchets,  and 
nothinor  will  eo  riaht  till  these  are  tried;  and  there 
is  a  third  sort  which  are  out  of  love  with  everybody 
and  everything,  and  only  come  into  the  churches  to 
see  If  they  can  make  a  row.     Mark  these,  and  keep 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  409 

clear  of  them.  There  are  plenty  of  humble  Christians 
who  only  want  leave  to  be  quiet  and  mind  their  own 
business,  and  these  troublers  are  their  plague. 

Too  Many  "Ologies.'* 

To  hear  the  gospel  and  to  be  helped  to  do  good  is 
all  that  the  most  of  our  members  want;  but  these 
worries  come  in  with  their  "  ologies  "  and  puzzlements 
and  hard  speeches,  and  cause  sorrow  upon  sorrow. 
A  good  shepherd  will  soon  fetch  these  dogs  a  crack 
of  the  head ;  but  they  will  be  at  their  work  again  if 
they  see  half  a  chance.  What  pleasure  can  they  find 
in  it?  Surely  they  must  have  a  touch  of  the  wolf  in 
their  nature.     At  any  rate,  beware  of  the  dog. 

Seventhly,  beware  of  dogs  who  have  retur7ied  to  their 
vomit.  An  apostate  is  like  a  leper.  As  a  rule,  none 
are  more  bitter  enemies  of  the  cross  than  those  who 
once  professed  to  be  followers  of  Jesus.  He  who  can 
turn  away  from  Christ  is  not  a  fit  companion  for  any 
honest  man.  There  are  many  abroad  now-a-days  who 
have  thrown  off  religion  as  easily  as  a  ploughman  puts 
off  his  jacket.  It  will  be  a  terrible  day  for  them  when 
the  heavens  are  on  fire  above  them,  and  the  world  is 
ablaze  under  their  feet.  If  a  man  calls  himself  my 
friend,  and  leaves  the  ways  of  God,  then  his  way  and 
mine  are  different ;  he  who  is  no  friend  to  the  good 
cause  is  no  friend  of  mine. 

Hogs  in  a  Flower  Garden. 

Lastly,  finally,  and  to  finish  up,  beware  of  a  dog  that 
has  no  master.  If  a  fellow  makes  free  with  the  Bible 
and  the  laws  of  his  country  and  common  decency,  it  is 


410  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

time  to  make  free  to  tell  him  we  had  rather  have  his 
room  than  his  company.  A  certain  set  of  wonderfully 
wise  men  are  talking  very  big  things,  and  putting  their 
smutty  fingers  upon  everything  which  their  fathers 
thought  to  be  good  and  holy.  Poor  fools,  they  are 
not  half  as  clever  as  they  think  they  are. 

Like  hogs  in  a  flower-garden,  they  are  for  rooting 
up  everything;  and  some  people  are  so  frightened 
that  they  stand  as  if  they  were  struck,  and  hold  up 
their  hands  in  horror  at  the  creatures.  When  the 
hogs  have  been  in  my  master's  garden,  and  I  have  had 
the  big  whip  handy,  I  warrant  you  I  have  made  a  clear- 
ance, and  I  only  wish  I  was  a  scholar,  for  I  would  lay 
about  me  among  these  free-thinking  gentry,  and  make 
them  squeal  to  a  long-metre  tune.  As  John  Plough- 
man has  other  fish  to  fry  and  other  tails  to  butter,  he 
must  leave  these  mischievous  creatures,  and  finish  his 
rough  ramshackle  sermon. 

"  Beware  of  the  dog !  "  Beware  of  all  who  will  do 
you  harm.  Good  company  is  to  be  had  ;  why  seek 
bad  ?  It  is  said  of  heaven,  "  without  are  dogs."  Let 
us  make  friends  of  those  who  can  go  inside  of  heaven, 
for  there  we  hope  to  go  ourselves.  We  shall  go  to 
our  own  company  when  we  die;  let  it  be  such  that  we 
shall  be  glad  to  go  to  it. 

HOME. 

That  word  home  always  sounds  like  poetry  to  me. 
It  rings  like  a  peal  of  bells  at  a  wedding,  only  more 
soft  and  sweet,  and  it  chimes  deeper  into  the  ears  of 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  411 

my  heart.  It  does  not  matter  whether  it  means 
thatched  cottage  or  manor-house,  home  is  home,  be  it 
ever  so  homely,  and  there's  no  place  on  earth  like  it. 
Green  grow  the  houseleek  on  the  roof  for  ever,  and 
let  the  moss  flourish  on  the  thatch.  Sweetly  the  spar- 
rows chirrup  and  the  swallows  twitter  around  the 
chosen  spot  which  is  my  joy  and  rest. 

Every  bird  loves  its  own  nest ;  the  owl  thinks  the 
old  ruins  the  fairest  spot  under  the  moon,  and  the  fox 
is  of  the  opinion  that  his  hole  in  the  hill  is  remarkably 
cosey.  When  my  master's  nag  knows  that  his  head  is 
towards  home  he  wants  no  whip,  but  thinks  it  best  to 
put  on  all  steam ;  and  I  am  always  of  the  same  mind, 
for  the  way  home,  to  me,  is  the  best  bit  of  road  in  the 
country,  I  like  to  see  the  smoke  out  of  my  own 
chimney  better  than  the  fire  on  another  man's  hearth ; 
there's  something  so  beautiful  in  the  way  in  which  it 
curls  up  among  the  trees. 

Your  Own  is  Always  the  Best. 

Cold  potatoes  on  my  own  table  taste  better  than 
roast  meat  at  my  neighbor's,  and  the  honeysuckle  at 
my  own  door  is  the  sweetest  I  ever  smell.  When  you 
are  out,  friends  do  their  best,  but  still  it  is  not  home. 
"  Make  yourself  at  home,"  they  say,  because  everybody 
knows  that  to  feel  at  home  is  to  feel  at  ease. 

"  East  and  west, 
Home  is  best." 

Why,  at  home  you  are  at  home,  and  what  more  do 
you  want?  Nobody  grudges  you,  whatever  your 
appetite  may  be  ;  and  you  don't  get  put  into  a  damp 


412 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 


bed.  Safe  in  his  own  castle,  like  a  king  in  his  palace, 
a  man  feels  himself  somebody,  and  is  not  afraid  of 
being  thought  proud  for  thinking  so.  Every  cock 
may  crow  on  his  own  dunghill  ;  and  a  dog  is  a  lion 
when  he  is  at  home.  A  sweep  is  master  inside  his 
own  door.  No  need  to  guard  every  word  because 
some  enemy  is  on  the  watch,  no  keeping  the  heart 
under  lock  and  key ;  but  as  soon  as  the  door  le  shut  it 
is  liberty  hall,  and  none  to  peep  and  pry. 

I  cannot  make  out  why  so  many  workingmen  spend 
their  evenings  at  the  public  house,  when  their  own 
fireside  would  be  so  much  better,  and  cheaper  too. 
There  they  sit,  hour  after  hour,  boozing  and  talking 
nonsense,  and  forgetting  the  dear  good  souls  at  home, 
who  are  half-starved  and  weary  with  waiting  for  them. 
Their  money  goes  into  the  publican's  till,  when  it  ought 
to  make  their  wives  and  children  comfortable ;  as  for 
the  beer  they  get,  it  is  just  so  much  fool's  milk  to 
drown  their  wits  in.  Such  fellows  ought  to  be  horse- 
whipped;  and  those  who  encourage  them  and  live  on 
their  spendings  deserve  to  feel  the  butt  end  of  the 
whip. 

England's  Curse. 

Those  beershops  are  the  curse  of  this  country;  no 
good  ever  can  come  of  them,  and  the  evil  they  do  no 
tongue  can  tell.  The  publics  were  bad  enough,  but 
the  beershops  are  a  pest:  I  wish  the  man  who  made 
the  law  to  open  them  had  to  keep  all  the  families  that 
they  have  brought  to  ruin.  Beershops  are  the  ene- 
mies of  home,  and  therefore  the  sooner  their  licenses 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  'il3 

are  taken  away,  the  better.  Poor  men  don't  need 
such  places,  nor  rich  men  either ;  they  are  all  worse 
and  no  better,  like  Tom  Norton's  wife.  Anything  that 
hurts  the  home  is  a  curse,  and  ought  to  be  hunted 
down  as  gamekeepers  do  the  vermin  in  the  copses. 

Husbands  should  try  to  make  home  happy  and  holy. 
It  is  an  ill  bird  that  fouls  its  own  nest,  a  bad  man  who 
makes  his  home  wretched.  Our  house  ouofht  to  be 
a  little  church,  with  holiness  to  the  Lord  over  the  door; 
but  it  ought  never  to  be  a  prison,  where  there  is  plenty 
of  rule  and  order,  but  little  love  and  no  pleasure. 
Married  life  is  not  all  sugar,  but  grace  in  the  heart 
will  keep  away  most  of  the  sours.  Godliness  and  love 
can  make  a  man,  like  a  bird  in  a  hedee,  sino-  amonor 
thorns  and  briers,  and  set  others  a-singing  too. 
It  should  be  the  husband's  pleasure  to  please  his 
wife,  and  the  wife's  care  to  care  for  her  husband. 
He  is  kind  to  himself  who  is  kind  to  his  wife. 

Husbaud  and  Wife  Well  Yoked. 

I  am  afraid  some  men  live  by  the  rule  of  self,  and 
when  that  is  the  case  home  happiness  is  a  mere  sham. 
When  husbands  and  wives  are  well  yoked,  how  light 
their  load  becomes !  It  is  not  every  couple  that  is  a 
pair,  and  the  more's  the  pity.  In  a  true  home  all  the 
strife  is  which  can  do  the  most  to  make  the  family 
happy.  A  home  should  be  a  Bethel,  not  Babel.  The 
husband  should  be  the  house-band,  bindingr  all  too^ether 
like  a  corner-stone,  but  not  crushing  everything  like 
A  millstone.    Unkind  and  domineeringr  husbands  ouofht 


414  '  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

not  to  pretend  to  be  Christians,  for  they  act  clean  con- 
trary to  Christ's  demands. 

Yet  a  home  must  be  well  ordered,  or  it  will  become 
a  Bedlam,  and  be  a  scandal  to  the  parish.  If  the 
father  drops  the  reins,  the  family  coach  will  soon  be 
in  the  ditch.  A  wise  mixture  of  love  and  firmness 
will  do  it;  but  neither  harshness  nor  softness  alone 
will  keep  home  in  happy  order.  Home  is  no  home 
where  the  children  are  not  in  obedience :  it  is  rather 
a  pain  than  a  pleasure  to  be  in  it.  Happy  is  he  who 
is  happy  in  his  children,  and  happy  are  the  children 
who  are  happy  in  their  father.  All  fathers  are  not 
wise.  Some  are  like  Eli,  and  spoil  their  children. 
Not  to  cross  our  children  is  the  way  to  make  a  cross 
of  them.  Those  who  never  o-ive  their  children  the 
rod  must  not  wonder  if  their  children  become  a  rod 
to  them.  Solomon  says :  "  Correct  thy  son,  and  he 
shall  give  thee  rest ;  yea,  he  shall  give  delight  to  thy 
soul."  I  am  not  clear  that  anybody  wiser  than  Solo- 
mon lives  in  our  time,  though  some  think  they  are. 

The  Home  May  be  a  Hell. 

Young  colts  must  be  broken  in,  or  they  will  make 
wild  horses.  Some  fathers  are  all  fire  and  fury,  filled 
with  passion  at  the  smallest  fault;  this  is  worse  than 
the  other,  and  makes  home  a  little  hell  instead  of  a 
heaven.  No  wind  makes  the  miller  idle,  but  too  much 
upsets  the  mill  altogether.  Men  who  strike  in  their 
anger  generally  miss  their  mark.  When  God  helps 
us  to  hold  the  reins  firmly,  but  not  to  hurt  the  horses' 
mouths,  all  goes  well.     When  home  is  ruled  according 


JOHN   ploughman's  TALK.  415 

to  God's  Word,  angels  might  be  asked  to  stay  a  night 
with  us,  and  they  would  not  find  themselves  out  of 
their  element. 

Wives  should  feel  that  home  is  their  place  and  theii* 
kingdom,  the  happiness  of  which  depends  mostly 
upon  them.  She  is  a  wicked  wife  who  drives  her  hus- 
band away  by  her  long  tongue.  A  man  said  to  his 
wife  the  other  day,  "Double  up  your  whip"  He 
meant,  keep  your  tongue  quiet:  it  is  wretched  living 
with  such  a  whip  always  lashing  you.  Wlien  God 
gave  to  men  ten  measures  of  speech,  they  say  the 
women  ran  away  with  nine,  and  in  some  cases  I  am 
afraid  the  saying  is  true.  A  dirty,  slatternly,  gossiping 
wife  is  enough  to  drive  her  husband  mad  ;  and  if  he 
goes  to  the  public-house  of  an  evening,  she  is  the 
cause  of  it. 

Some  Women  Oiiglit  to  be  Deaf  and  Dumb. 

It  is  doleful  living  where  the  wife,  instead  of  rever- 
encing her  husband,  is  always  wrangling  and  railing  at 
him.  It  must  be  a  eood  thino-  when  such  women  are 
hoarse,  and  it  is  a  pity  that  they  have  not  as  many 
blisters  on  their  tongues  as  they  have  teeth  in  their 
jaws.  God  save  us  all  from  wives  who  are  angels  in 
the  streets,  saints  in  the  church,  and  devils  at  home! 
I  have  never  tasted  of  such  bitter  herbs,  but  I  pity 
from  my  very  heart  those  who  have  this  diet  every  day 
of  their  lives. 

Show  me  a  loving  husband,  a  worthy  wife,  and  good 
children,  and  no  pair  of  horses  that  ever  flew  along  the 
road  could  take  me  in  a  year  where  I  could  see  a  more 


416  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

pleasing  sight.  Home  is  the  grandest  of  all  institu- 
tions. Talk  about  parliament,  give  me  a  quiet  little 
parlor.  Boast  about  voting  and  the  Reform  Bill  if 
you  like,  but  I  go  in  for  weeding  the  little  garden  and 
teaching  the  children  their  hymns.  Franchise  may  be 
a  very  fine  thing,  but  I  should  a  good  deal  sooner  get 
the  freehold  of  my  cottage,  if  I  could  find  the  money 
to  buy  it.  Magna  Charta  I  don't  know  much  about ; 
but  if  it  means  a  quiet  home  for  everybody,  three 
cheers  for  it. 

LIKE  CAT  LIKE  KIT. 

Most  men  are  what  their  mothers  made  them.  The 
father  is  away  from  home  all  day,  and  has  not  half  the 
influence  over  the  children  that  the  mother  has.  The 
cow  has  most  to  do  with  the  calf.  If  a  ragged  colt 
grows  into  a  good  horse,  we  know  who  it  is  that 
combed  him.  A  mother  is  therefore  a  very  responsi- 
ble woman,  even  though  she  may  be  the  poorest  in  the 
land,  for  the  bad  or  the  good  of  her  boys  and  girls  very 
much  depends  upon  her.  As  is  the  gardener,  such  is 
the  garden  ;  as  is  the  wife,  such  is  the  family. 

Samuel's  mother  made  him  a  little  coat  every  year, 
but  she  had  done  a  deal  for  him  before  that:  Samuel 
would  not  have  been  Samuel  if  Hannah  had  not  been 
Hannah.  We  shall  never  see  a  better  set  of  men  till 
the  mothers  are  better.  We  must  have  Sarahs  and 
Rebekahs  before  we  shall  see  Isaacs  and  Jacobs.  Grace 
does  not  run  in  the  blood,  but  we  generally  find  that 
the  Timothies  have  mothers  of  a  goodly  sort. 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  417 

Spoiled  Children. 

Little  children  give  their  mother  the  headache  ;  but 
if  she  lets  them  have  their  own  way,  when  they 
grow  up  to  be  great  children  they  will  give  her 
the  heartache.  Foolish  fondness  spoils  many,  and 
letting  faults  alone  spoils  more.  Gardens  that  are 
never  weeded  will  grow  very  little  worth  gathering  ; 
all  watering  and  no  hoeing  will  make  a  bad  crop.  A 
child  may  have  too  much  of  its  mother's  love,  and  in 
the  long  run  it  may  turn  out  that  it  had  too  little. 

Soft-hearted  mothers  rear  soft-hearted  children ;  they 
hurt  them  for  life  because  they  are  afraid  of  hurting 
them  when  they  are  young.  Coddle  your  children,  and 
they  will  turn  out  noodles.  You  may  sugar  a  child 
till  everybody  is  sick  of  it.  Boys'  jackets  need  a  little 
dusting  every  now  and  then,  and  girls'  dresses  are  all 
the  better  for  occasional  trimmins:.  Children  without 
chastisement  are  fields  without  ploughing.  The  very 
best  colts  want  breaking  in.  Not  that  we  like  severity  ; 
cruel  mothers  are  not  mothers,  and  those  who  are 
always  flogging  and  fault-finding  ought  to  be  flogged 
themselves.  There  is  reason  in  all  thinofs,  as  the  mad- 
man  said  when  he  cut  off  his  nose. 

Good  mothers  are  very  dear  to  their  children. 
There's  no  mother  in  the  world  like  our  own  mother. 
My  friend  Sanders,  from  Glasgow,  says,  "  The  mith- 
er's  breath  is  aye  sweet."  Every  woman  is  a  hand- 
some woman  to  her  own  son.  That  man  is  not  worth 
hanging  who  does  not  love  his  mother.  When  good 
women  lead  their  litde  ones  to  the  Saviour,  the  Lord 

27 


418  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

Jesus  blesses  not  only  the  children,  but  their  mothers 
as  well.  Happy  are  they  among  women  who  see  their 
sons  and  their  daucrhters  walking-  in  the  truth. 

Sons  Wlio  Turn  Out  Fools. 

He  who  thinks  it  easy  to  bring  up  a  family  never 
had  one  of  his  own.  A  mother  who  trains  her  chil- 
dren aright  had  need  be  wiser  than  Solomon,  for  his 
son  turned  out  a  fool.  Some  children  are  perverse 
from  their  infancy  :  none  are  born  perfect,  but  some 
have  a  double  share  of  imperfections.  Do  what  you 
will  with  some  children,  they  don't  improve.  Wash  a 
dog,  comb  a  dog,  still  a  dog  is  but  a  dog :  trouble 
seems  thrown  away  on  some  children.  Such  cases 
are  meant  to  drive  us  to  God,  for  he  can  turn  blacka- 
moors white,  and  cleanse  out  the  leopard's  spots. 

It  is  clear  that  whatever  faults  our  children  have, 
we  are  their  parents,  and  we  cannot  find  fault  with 
the  stock  they  came  of.  Wild  geese  do  not  lay  tame 
eo^crs.  That  which  is  born  of  a  hen  will  be  sure  to 
scratch  in  the  dust.  The  child  of  a  cat  will  hunt  after 
mice.  Every  creature  follows  its  kind.  If  we  are 
black,  we  cannot  blame  our  offspring  if  they  are  dark 
too.  Let  us  do  our  best  with  them,  and  pray  the 
mighty  Lord  to  put  his  hand  to  the  work.  Children 
of  prayer  will  grow  up  to  be  children  of  praise ; 
mothers  who  have  wept  before  God  for  their  sons 
will  one  day  sing  a  new  song  over  them.  Some  colts 
often  break  the  halter,  and  yet  become  quiet  in  har- 
ness. God  can  make  those  new  whom  we  cannot 
mend,   therefore   let  mothers   never  despair  of  their 


JOHN    PLOUGHMAN  S    TALK. 


419 


children  as  long  as  they  live.  Are  they  away  from 
you  across  the  sea  ?  Remember,  the  Lord  is  there  as 
well  as  here.  Prodigals  may  wander,  but  tliey  are 
never  out  of  sight  of  the  Great  Father,  even  though 
they  may  be  "  a  great  way  off." 

Happy  Homes. 
Let  mothers  labor  to  make  home  the  happiest  place 
in  the  world.  If  they  are  always  nagging  and  grum- 
bling they  will  lose  their  hold  on  their  children,  and 
the  boys  will  be  tempted  to  spend  their  evenings  away 
from  home.  Home  is  the  best  place  for  boys  and 
men,  and  a  good  mother  is  the  soul  of  home.  The 
smile  of  a  mother's  face  has  enticed  many  into  the 
right  path,  and  the  fear  of  bringing  a  tear  into  her 
eye  has  called  off  many  a  man  from  evil  ways.  The 
boy  may  have  a  heart  of  iron,  but  his  mother  can 
hold  him  like  a  magnet.  The  devil  never  reckons  a 
man  to  be  lost  so  long  as  he  has  a  good  mother  alive. 
Oh,  woman,  great  is  thy  power!  See  to  it  that  it  be 
used  for  him  who  thought  of  his  mother  even  in  the 
agonies  of  death. 

VERY  IGNORANT  PEOPLE. 

I  HAVE  heard  tell  of  a  man  who  did  not  know  a 
great  A  from  a  bull's  foot,  and  I  know  a  good  many 
who  certainly  could  not  tell  what  great  A,  or  little  A 
either,  may  mean  ;  but  some  of  these  people  are  not 
the  most  ignorant  in  the  world  for  all  that.  For  in- 
stance, they  know  a  cow's  head  from  its  tail,  and  one  of 
the  election  gentlemen  said  lately  that  the  candidate  from 


420  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

London  did  not  know  that.  They  know  that  turnips 
don't  grow  on  trees,  and  they  can  tell  a  mangel-wurzel 
from  a  beet-root,  and  a  rabbit  from  a  hare,  and  there 
are  fine  folk  who  play  on  pianos  who  could  hardly 
know  as  m.uch  as  that.  If  they  cannot  read  they  can 
plough  and  mow,  and  reap  and  sow,  and  bring  up 
seven  children  on  ten  shillings  a  week,  and  yet  pay 
their  way  ;  and  there's  a  sight  of  people  who  are  much 
too  ignorant  to  do  that. 

The  Worst  Ig-iiorance. 

Ignorance  of  spelling-books  is  very  bad,  but  ignor- 
ance of  hard  work  is  worse.  Wisdom  does  not  al- 
ways speak  Latin.  People  laugh  at  smock-frocks,  and 
indeed  they  are  about  as  ugly  garments  as  could  well 
be  contrived ;  but  some  who  wear  them  are  not  half 
such  fools  as  people  take  them  for.  If  no  ignorant 
people  ate  bread  but  those  who  wear  hobnail  shoes, 
corn  would  be  a  fine  deal  cheaper.  Wisdom  in  a  poor 
man  is  like  a  diamond  set  in  lead,  only  judges  can  see 
its  value.  Wisdom  walks  often  in  patched  shoes,  and 
men  admire  her  not ;  but  I  say,  never  mind  the  coat, 
o^ive  me  the  man  :  nutshells  are  nothinsf,  the  kernel  is 
everything.  You  need  not  go  to  Pirbright  to  find  ig- 
noramuses, there  are  heaps  of  them  near  St.  Paul's. 

I  would  have  everybody  able  to  read  and  write  and 
cipher;  indeed,  I  don't  think  a  man  can  know  too 
much;  but,  mark  you,  the  knowing  of  these  things  is 
not  education,  and  there  are  millions  of  your  reading 
and  writing  people  who  are  as  ignorant  as  neighbor 
Norton's   calf,  that  did    not  know   its   own  mother. 


JOHN    ploughman's    TALK.  421 

This  is  as  plain  as  the  nose  on  your  face,  if  you  only 

think  a  little. 

Horses  not  Intended  to  Fly. 

To  know  how  to  read  and  write  is  like  having  tools 
to  work  with  ;  but  if  you  don't  use  these  tools,  and 
your  eyes  and  your  ears  too,  you  will  be  none  the 
better  off.  Everybody  should  know  what  most  con^;^ 
cerns  him  and  makes  him  most  useful.  It  is  little  use 
for  a  horse  to  know  how  to  fly,  it  will  do  well  enough 
if  it  can  trot.  A  man  on  a  farm  ought  to  learn  all  that 
belongs  to  farming,  a  blacksmith  should  study  a  horse's 
foot,  a  dairymaid  should  be  well  up  in  skimming  the 
milk  and  making  the  butter,  and  a  laborer's  wife  should 
be  a  orood  scholar  in  the  sciences  of  boilino-  and  bak- 
ing,  washing  and  mending  ;  and  John  Ploughman 
ventures  to  say  that  diose  men  and  women  who  have 
not  learned  the  duties  of  their  callings  are  very  ignor- 
ant people,  even  if  they  can  tell  the  Greek  name  for 
a  crocodile,  or  write  an  ode  on  a  black-beetle.  It  is 
too  often  very  true — 

"  Jack  lias  been  to  school 
To  learn  to  be  a  fool." 

When  a  man  falls  into  the  water,  to  know  how  to 
swim  will  be  of  more  use  to  him  than  all  his  mathe- 
matics ;  and  yet  how  very  few  boys  learn  swimming. 
Girls  are  taui^ht  dancing  and  French,  when  stitching 
and  English  would  be  a  hundred  per  cent,  more  use 
to  them.  When  men  have  to  earn  their  livings  in 
these  hard  times,  a  good  trade  and  industrious  habits 
will  serve  their  turn  a  world  better  than  all  the  classics 


422  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

in  Cambridge  and  Oxford ;  but  who  no\v-a-days 
advocates  practical  training  at  our  schools  ?  School- 
masters would  go  into  fits  if  they  were  asked  to  teach 
poor  people's  boys  to  hoe  potatoes  and  plant  cauli- 
flowers. 

Blacking  Shoes  aiul  Sewing-  Buttons. 

If  you  want  a  dog  to  be  a  pointer  or  a  setter,  you 
train  him  accordingly:  why  ever  don't  they  do  the 
same  with  men  ?  It  ought  to  be,  "  Every  man  for  his 
business,  and  every  man  master  of  his  business."  Let 
Jack  and  Tom  learn  geography  by  all  means,  but  don't 
foreet  to  teach  them  how  to  black  their  own  boots  and 
put  a  button  on  to  their  own  trousers  ;  and  as  ior  Jane 
and  Sally,  let  them  sing  and  play  the  music  if  they 
like,  but  not  till  they  can  darn  a  stocking  and  make  a 
shirt.  When  they  brinof  on  the  new  act  for  general 
education.  I  hope  they  will  put  in  a  clause  to  teach 
children  practical  common-sense  home  duties,  as  well 
as  the  three  R's  and  the  folderols  which  I  think  they 
call  "  accomplishments." 

There's  poor  Gent  with  six  girls,  and  about  fifty 
pounds  a  year  to  keep  his  family  on,  and  yet  not  one 
of  them  can  do  a  hand's  turn,  because  their  mother 
would  go  into  fits  lest  Miss  Sophia  Elfrida  should 
have  chapped  hands  through  washing  the  family  linen 
or  lest  Alexandra  Theodora  should  spoil  her  com- 
plexion in  picking  a  few  gooseberries  for  a  pudding. 
It's  enough  to  make  a  cat  laugh  to  hear  the  poor 
things  talk  about  fashion  and  etiquette,  when  they  are 
not  half  so  well  off  as  the  hig-orler's  daughters   down 


JOHN    PLOUGHMAN*S   TALK.  423 

the  lane,  who  ecirn  their  own  Hving,  and  are  laying 
money  by  against  the  time  when  some  young  farmer 
will  pick  them  up. 

Marrying  a  Wax  Doll. 

Trust  me,  he  who  marries  these  highty-tighty  young 
ladies  will  have  as  bad  a  bargain  as  if  he  married  a 
wax  doll.  How  the  fat  would  be  in  the  fire  if  Mrs. 
Gent  heard  me  say  it !  but  I  do  say  it  for  all  that :  she 
and  the  girls  are  igizorant,  very  ignorant,  because  they 
do  not  know  what  would  be  of  most  service  to  them. 

Every  sprat  now-a-days  calls  itself  a  herring  ;  every 
donkey  thinks  itself  fit  to  be  one  of  the  queen's  horses'; 
every  candle  thinks  itself  the  sun.  But  when  a  man 
with  his  best  coat  on,  and  a  paper  collar,  a  glass  in 
his  eye,  a  brass  chain  on  his  waistcoat,  a  cane  in  his 
hand,  and  emptiness  in  his  head,  fancies  that  people 
cannot  see  through  his  swaggers  and  brags,  he  must 
be  ignorant,  very  ignorant,  for  he  does  not  know  him- 
self. Flats,  dressed  up  to  the  top  of  the  fashion, 
think  themselves  somebodies,  but  nobody  else  does. 
Dancing-masters  and  tailors  may  rig  up  a  fop,  but 
they  cannot  make  a  nothing  into  a  man.  You  may 
color  a  millstone  as  much  as  you  like,  but  you  cannot 
improve  it  into  a  cheese. 

When  tradesmen  put  their  earnings  into  companies 
and  expect  to  see  it  again  ;  when  they  take  shares  in 
railways  and  look  for  dividends  ;  when  they  lend  money 
at  high  interest  and  think  to  make  their  fortunes,  they 
must   be  ignorant,  very  ignoi'ant.      As   well  hang   a 


424  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

wooden  kettle  over  the  fire  and  get  ready  for  tea,  or 
sow  beans  in  a  river  and  look  for  a  fine  crop. 
Plucked  Goslings. 

When  men  believe  in  lawyers  and  money-lenders 
(whether  Jews  or  Gentiles),  and  borrow  money  and 
speculate,  and  think  themselves  lucky  fellows,  they  are 
shamefully  ignorant.  The  very  gander  on  the  com- 
mon would  not  make  such  a  stupid  of  himself,  for  he 
knows  v/hen  anyone  tries  to  pluck  him,  and  won't  lose 
his  feathers  and  pride  himself  in  the  operation. 

The  man  who  spends  his  money  with  the  publican, 
and  thinks  that  the  landlord's  bows  and  "  How  do  ye 
do,  my  good  fellow  ?  "  mean  true  respect,  is  a  perfect 
natural ;  for  with  them  it  is — 

If  you  have  money,  take  a  seat ; 
If  you  have  none,  take  to  your  feet. 

The  fox  admires  the  cheese,  not  the  raven.  The  bait 
is  not  put  into  the  trap  to  feed  the  mouse,  but  to  catch 
him.  We  don't  light  a  fire  for  the  herring's  comfort, 
but  to  roast  him. 

He  who  believes  in  promises  made  at  elections  has 
long  ears,  and  may  try  to  eat  thistles.  Mr.  Plausible 
has  been  round  asking  all  the  working  men  for  their 
votes,  and  he  will  do  all  sorts  of  good  things  for  them. 
Will  he  ?  Yes,  the  day  after  to-morrow,  a  litde  later 
than  never.  Poor  men  who  expect  the  "  friends  of 
the  working  man  "  to  do  anything  for  them  must  be 
igjioraiit,  very  ignorant.  When  they  get  their  seats, 
of  course  they  cannot  stand  up  for  their  principles, 
except  when  it  is  to  their  interest  to  do  so. 


JOHN   ploughman's    TALK.  425 

Stupid  as  a  Donkey. 

To  lend  umbrellas  and  look  to  have  them  sent  home, 
to  do  a  man  a  good  turn  and  expect  another  from  him 
when  you  want  it,  to  hope  to  stop  some  women's 
tongues,  to  try  to  please  everybody,  to  hope  to  hear 
gossips  speak  well  of  you,  or  to  get  the  truth  of  a 
story  from  common  report — is  all  evidence  of  great 
itrnorance.  Those  who  know  the  world  best  trust  it 
least ;  those  who  trust  it  at  all  are  not  wise ;  as  well 
trust  a  horse's  heel  or  a  do'^  s  tooth. 

Trusting  to  others  ruins  many.  The  mouse  knows 
when  the  cat  is  out  of  the  house,  and  servants  know 
when  the  master  is  away.  No  sooner  is  the  eye  of 
the  master  gone  than  the  hand  of  the  workman 
slackens.  "  I'll  go  myself,"  and  "  I'll  see  to  it,"  are 
two  good  servants  on  a  farm.  Those  who  lie  in  bed 
and  reckon  that  their  trade  will  carry  on  itself  are 
ignorant,  very  ignorant. 

When  I  see  a  young  lady  with  a  flower  garden  on 
her  head  and  a  draper's  shop  on  her  body,  tossing  her 
head  about  as  if  she  thought  everybody  was  charmed 
with  her,  I  am  sure  she  must  be  ignorant,  very  ignorant. 
Sensible  men  don't  marry  a  wardrobe  or  a  bonnet- 
box  ;  they  want  a  woman  of  sense,  and  these  dress 
sensibly. 

Shallow  Blusterers. 

To  my  mind,  those  who  sneer  at  religion  and  set 
themselves  up  to  be  too  knowing  to  believe  in  the 
Bible  are  shallow  fellows.  They  generally  use  bio- 
words  and  bluster  a  great  deal ;  but  if  they  fancy  they 


426  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

can  overturn  the  faith  of  thinking  people,  who  have 
tried  and  proved  tlie  power  of  the  grace  of  God,  they 
must  be  igH07^a7it,  very  ignorant.  He  who  looks  at  the 
sunrise  and  the  sunset,  and  does  not  see  the  footprints 
of  God,  must  be  inwardly  blinder  than  a  mole,  and 
only  fit  to  live  under  ground,  God  seems  to  talk  to 
me  in  every  primrose  and  daisy,  to  smile  upon  me 
from  every  star,  to  whisper  to  me  in  every  breath  ol 
morning  air,  and  call  aloud  to  me  in  every  storm. 

They  say  that  man  is  the  god  of  the  dog :  that  man 
must  be  worse  than  a  dog  who  will  not  listen  to  the 
voice  of  God,  for^a  dog  follows  at  his  master's  whistle. 
They  call  themselves  philosophers,  don't  they  ?  Their 
proper  name  is  fools,  for  the  fool  hath  said  in  his 
heart,  "  There  is  no  God."  The  sheep  know  when 
rain  is  coming,  the  swallows  foresee  the  winter,  and 
even  the  pigs,  they  say,  can  see  the  wind ;  how  much 
worse  than  a  brute  must  he  be  who  lives  where  God 
is  everywhere  present,  and  yet  sees  Piim  not !  So 
you  see  a  man  may  be  a  great  hand  at  learning,  and 
yet  be  ignorant,  very  ignorant. 

HE  LOOKS  ONE  WAY  AND  PULLS  THE  OTHER. 

He  faces  the  shore,  but  he  is  pulling  for  the  ship. 
This  Is  the  way  of  those  who  row  in  boats,  and  also 
of  a  great  many  who  never  trust  themselves  on  the 
water.  The  boatman  is  all  right,  but  the  hypocrite  is 
all  wrong,  whatever  rites  he  may  practice.  I  cannot 
endure  Mr.  Facing-both-ways,  yet  he  has  swarms  of 
cousins. 


JOHN    ploughman's    TALK.  427 

It  is  ill  to  be  a  saint  without  and  a  devil  within — to  be 
a  servant  of  Christ  before  the  world  in  order  to  serve 
the  ends  of  self  and  the  devil,  while  inwardly  the  heart 
hates  all  orood  things.  There  are  trood  and  bad  of  all 
classes,  and  hypocrites  can  be  lound  among  plough- 
men as  well  as  among  parsons.  It  used  to  be  so  in 
the  olden  times,  for  1  remember  an  old  verse  which 
draws  out  just  such  a  character.      Tlie  man  says  : 

"  ril  have  a  religion  all  of  my  own, 

Whetlier  Papist  or  Piuiesiam  shall  not  le  known; 
And  if  it  proves  troubksi.nie  I  will  have  mine." 

In   our  Lord's   day  many  followed   him,  but   it  was 

only  for  the  loaves  and  fishes.     They  do  say  that  some 

in   our  parish  don't  go  quite  so  straight  as  the  Jews 

did,  for  they  go  to  the  church  for  the  loaves,  and  then 

go  over  to  the   Baptist  chapel  for  the  fishes.     I  don't 

want  to  judge,  but  I  certainly  do  know  some  who,  if 

they  do  not  care  much  for  faith,  are  always  following 

after  charity. 

A  Wolf  ill  a  Slieepskiii. 

Better  die  than  sell  your  soul  to  the  highest  bidder. 
Better  be  shut  up  in  the  workhouse  than  fatten  upon 
hypocrisy.  Whatever  else  we  barter,  let  us  never  try 
to  turn  a  penny  by  religion,  for  hypocrisy  is  the  mean- 
est vice  a  man  can  come  to. 

It  is  a  base  thini^  to  call  yourself  Christ's  horse,  and 
yet  carry  the  devil's  saddle.  The  worst  kind  of  wolf 
is  that  which  wears  a  sheep's  skin.  Jezebel  was  never 
so  ugly  as  when  she  had  finished  painting  her  face. 
Above  all  things,  then,  brother  laborers,  let  us  be 
straight  as  an  arrow  and  true  as  a  die,  ^^nd  never  let 


428  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

US  be  timeservers  or  turncoats.  Never  let  us  carry 
two  faces  under  one  hat,  nor  blow  hot  and  cold  with 
the  same  breath. 


RUNNING  IN  DEfJT. 

When  I  was  a  very  small  boy,  in  pinafores,  and 
went  to  a  woman's  school,  it  so  happened  that  1  wanted 
a  stick  of  slate-pencil,  and  had  no  money  to  buy  it 
with.  I  was  afraid  of  beinj^  scolded  for  losing-  my 
pencils  so  often,  for  I  was  a  real  careless  little  fellow, 
and  so  did  not  dare  to  ask  at  home.  What  then  was 
John  to  do  ? 

There  was  a  little  shop  in  the  place,  where  nuts  and 
tops  and  cakes  and  balls  were  sold  by  old  Mrs.  Dear- 
son,  and  sometimes  I  had  seen  boys  and  skirls  get 
trusted  by  the  old  lady.  I  argued  with  myself  that 
Christmas  was  coming,  and  that  somebody  or  other 
would  be  sure  to  give  me  a  penny  then,  and  perhaps 
even  a  whole  silver  sixpence.  I  would  therefore  go 
into  debt  for  a  stick  of  slate-pencil,  and  be  sure  to  pay 
at  Christmas.  I  did  not  feel  easy  about  it,  but  still  I 
screwed  my  courage  up,  and  went  into  the  shop.  One 
farthing  was  the  amount,  and  as  I  had  never  owed 
auN'thing  before,  and  my  credit  was  good,  the  pencil 
was  handed  over  by  the  kind  dame,  and  I  was  in  debt. 
It  did  not  please  me  much,  and  I  felt  as  if  I  had  done 
wrong,  but  I  little  knew  how  soon  I  should  smart  for 
it.  How  my  father  came  to  hear  of  this  little  stroke 
of  business  I  never  knew,  but  some  little  bird  or  other 


JOHN    ploughman's   TALK.  429 

whistled  it  to  him,  and  he  was  very  soon  down  upon 
me  in  right  earnest.     God  bless  him  for  it. 

Powerful  Lecture  on  the  Side  oi'  the  Head. 

He  was  a  sensible  man,  and  none  ot  your  children- 
spoilers  ;  he  did  not  intend  to  bring  up  his  children  to 
speculate  and  play  at  what  big  rogues  call  financing, 
and  therefore  he  knocked  my  getting  into  debt  on  the 
head  at  once,  and  no  mistake.  He  gave  me  a  very 
powerful  lecture  upon  getting  into  debt,  and  how  like 
it  was  to  stealing,  and  upon  the  way  in  which  people 
were  ruined  by  it;  and  how  a  boy  who  would  owe  a 
farthing  might  one  day  owe  a  hundred  pounds,  and 
get  into  prison  and  bring  his  family  into  disgrace.  It 
was  a  lecture  indeed  ;  I  think  I  can  hear  it  now,  and 
can  feel  my  ears  tingling  at  the  recollection  of  it. 

Then  I  was  .marched  off  to  the  shop  like  a  deserter 
marched  into  barracks,  crying  bitterly  all  down  the 
street,  and  feeling  dreadfully  ashamed,  because  I 
thought  everybody  knew  I  was  in  debt.  The  farthing 
was  paid  amid  many  solemn  warnings,  and  the  poor 
debtor  was  set  free,  like  a  bird  let  out  of  a  cage.  How 
sweet  it  felt  to  be  out  of  debt !  How  did  my  litde 
heart  vow  and  declare  that  nothing  should  ever  tempt 
me  into  debt  again  !  It  was  a  fine  lesson,  and  I  have 
never  forgotten  it.  If  all  boys  were  inoculated  with 
the  same  doctrine  when  they  were  young,  it  would  be 
as  eood  as  a  fortune  to  them,  and  save  them  waeon- 
loads  of  trouble  in  after  life. 

God  bless  my  father,  say  I,  and  send  a  |)reed  of  such 
fathers  into  old  Encjland  to  save  her  from  beinor  eaten 


430  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

Up  with  villany  ;  for  what  with  companies  and  schemes 
and  paper  money,  the  nation  is  getting  to  be  as  rotten 
as  touch-wood. 

Debt,  Dirt,  aud  the  Devil. 

Ever  since  that  early  sickening  I  have  hated  debt 
as  Luther  hated  the  Pope,  and  if  I  say  some  fierce 
things  about  it,  you  must  not  wonder.  To  keep  debt, 
dirt,  and  the  devil  out  of  my  cottage  has  been  my 
greatest  wish  ever  since  I  set  up  housekeeping;  and 
although  the  last  of  the  three  has  sometimes  got  in  by 
the  door  or  the  window,  for  the  old  serpent  will  wrig- 
gle through  the  smallest  crack,  yet  thanks  to  a  good 
wife,  hard  work,  honestv,  and  scrubbingr-brushes,  the 
two  others  have  not  crossed  the  threshold.  Debt  is 
so  degrading,  that  if  I  owed  a  man  a  penny  I  would 
walk  twenty  miles,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  to  pay  him. 
sooner  than  feel  that  I  was  under  an  obligation. 

I  should  be  as  comfortable  with  peas  in  my  shoes, 
or  a  hedgehog  in  my  bed,  or  a  snake  up  my  back,  as 
with  bills  hanging  over  my  head  at  the  grocer's  and 
the  baker's  and  the  tailor's.  Poverty  is  hard,  but  debt 
is  horrible  ;  a  man  might  as  well  have  a  smoky  house 
and  a  scolding  wife,  which  are  said  to  be  the  two 
worst  evils  of  our  life.  We  may  be  poor,  and  yet  re- 
spectable, which  John  Ploughman  and  wife  hope  they 
are  and  will  be;  but  a  man  in  debt  cannot  even  respect 
himself,  and  he  is  sure  to  be  talked  about  by  the 
neighbors,  and  that  talk  will  not  be  much  to  his  credit. 

Everlasting  Borrowers. 

Some  persons  appear  to  like  to  be  owing  money; 


JOHN    ploughman's    TALK.  431 

but  I  would  as  soon  be  a  cat  up  a  chimney  with  the 
fire  aHght,  or  a  fox  with  the  hounds  at  my  heels,  or  a 
hedgehog  on  a  pitchfork,  or  a  mouse  under  an  owl's 
claw.  An  honest  man  thinks  a  purse  full  of  other 
people's  money  to  be  worse  than  an  empty  one ;  he 
cannot  bear  to  eat  other  people's  cheese,  wear  other 
people's  shirts,  and  walk  about  in  other  people's  shoes, 
neither  will  he  be  easy  while  his  wife  is  decked  out  in 
the  milliner's  bonnets  and  wears  the  draper's  flannels. 
The  jackdaw  in  the  peacock's  feathers  was  soon 
plucked,  and  borrowers  will  surely  come  to  poverty 
— a  poverty  of  the  bitterest  sort,  because  there  is 
shame  in  it. 

Living  beyond  their  incomes  is  the  ruin  of  many  of 
my  neighbors  ;  they  can  hardly  afford  to  keep  a  rabbit, 
and  must  needs  drive  a  pony  and  chaise.  I  am  afraid 
extravagance  is  the  common  disease  of  the  times,  and 
many  professing  Christians  have  caught  it,  to  their 
shame  and  sorrow.  Good  cotton  or  stuff  gowns  are 
not  good  enough  now-a-days ;  girls  must  have  silks 
and  satins,  and  then  there's  a  bill  at  the  dressmaker's  as 
long  as  a  winter's  night,  and  quite  as  dismal. 

Great  Show  on  an  Empty  Pocket. 

Show  and  style  and  smartness  run  away  with  a 
man's  means,  keep  the  family  poor,  and  the  father's 
'nose  down  on  the  grindstone.  Frogs  try  to  look  as 
big  as  bulls,  and  burst  themselves.  A  pound  a  week 
apes  five  hundred  a  year,  and  comes  to  the  county 
court.  Men  burn  the  candle  at  both  ends,  and  then 
say  they  are  very  unfortunate  ;  why  don't  they  put  the 


432  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

saddle  on  the  right  horse,  and  say  they  are  extravagant? 
Economy  is  half  the  battle  in  life ;  it  is  not  so  hard  to 
earn  money  as  to  spend  it  well.  Hundreds  would 
never  have  known  wmit  if  they  had  not  first  known 
waste.  If  all  poor  men's  wives  knew  how  to  cook, 
how  far  a  little  miofht  o^o  ! 

Our  minister  says  the  French  and  the  Germans  beat 
us  hollow  in  nice  cheap  cookery.  I  wish  they  would 
send  missionaries  over  to  convert  our  gossiping 
women  into  good  managers  ;  this  is  a  French  fashion 
which  would  be  a  deal  more  useful  than  those  fine 
pictures  in  Mrs.  Frippery's  window,  with  ladies  rigged 
out  in  a  new  style  every  month. 

Dainty  People. 

Dear  me !  some  people  are  much  too  fine  now-a- 
days  to  eat  what  their  fathers  were  thankful  to  see  on 
the  table,  and  so  they  please  their  palates  with  costly 
feeding,  come  to  tlie  workhouse,  and  expect  everybody 
to  pity  them.  They  turned  up  their  noses  at  bread 
and  butter,  and  came  to  eat  raw  turnips  stolen  out  of 
the  fields.  They  who  live  like  fightin  14- cocks  at  other 
men's  costs,  will  get  their  combs  cut,  or  perliaps  get 
roasted  for  it  one  of  these  days.  If  you  have  a  great 
store  of  peas,  you  may  put  the  more  in  the  soup;  but 
everybody  should  fare  according  to  his  earnings.  He 
is  both  a  fool  and  a  knave  who  has  a  shilling-  coming 
in,  and  on  the  strength  of  it  spends  a  pound  which 
does  not  belong  to  him. 

Cut  your  coat  according  to  your  cloth  is  sound  ad- 
vice;  but  cutting  other  people's  cloth  by  running  intg 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  433 

debt  is  as  like  thieving  asfourpence  is  like  a  groat.  If 
I  meant  to  be  a  rogue  I  would  deal  in  marine  stores, 
or  be  a  pettifogging  lawyer,  or  a  priest,  or  open  a  loan 
office,  or  go  out  picking  pockets,  but  I  would  scorn  the 
dirty  art  of  getting  into  debt  without  a  prospect  of 
being  able  to  pay. 

Debt  and  Deception. 
Debtors  can  hardly  help  being  liars,  for  they  prom- 
ise to  pay  when   they  know  they  cannot,  and  when 
they  have  made  up  a  lot  of  false  excuses  they  promise 
again,  and  so  they  lie  as  fast  as  a  horse  can  trot. 

"  You  have  debts,  and  make  debts  still, 
If  you've  not  lied,  lie  you  will." 

Now  if  owing  leads  to  lying,  who  shall  say  that  it  is 
not  a  most  evil  thing  ?  Of  course  there  are  excep- 
tions, and  I  do  not  want  to  bear  hard  upon  an  honest 
man  who  is  brought  down  by  sickness  or  heavy  losses  ; 
but  take  the  rule  as  a  rule,  and  you  will  find  debt  to 
be  a  great  dismal  swamp,  a  huge  mud-hole,  a  dirty 
ditch.  Happy  is  the  man  who  gets  out  of  it  after  once 
tumbling  in,  but  happiest  of  all  is  he  who  has  been  by 
God's  goodness  kept  out  of  the  mire  altogether. 

If  you  once  ask  the  devil  to  dinner  it  will  be  hard  to 
get  him  out  of  the  house  again  :  better  to  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  him.  Where  a  hen  has  laid  one  egg, 
she  is  very  likely  to  lay  another ;  when  a  man  is  once 
in  debt,  he  is  likely  to  get  into  it  again ;  better  keep 
clear  of  it  from  the  first.  He  who  gets  in  for  a  penny 
will  soon  be  in  for  a  pound,  and  when  a  man  is  over 

28 


434  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

shoes,  he  Is  very  liable  to  be  over  boots.     Never  owe 
a  farthing,  and  you  will  never  owe  a  guinea. 

Out  of  Debt,  Out  of  Daiigrer. 

If  you  want  to  sleep  soundly,  buy  a  bed  of  a  man 
who  is  in  debt ;  surely  it  must  be  a  very  soft  one,  or 
he  never  could  have  rested  so  easy  on  it.  I  suppose 
people  get  hardened  to  it,  as  Smith's  donkey  did  when 
its  master  broke  so  many  sticks  across  its  back.  It 
seems  to  me  that  a  real  honest  man  would  sooner  cjet 
as  lean  as  a  greyhound  than  feast  on  borrowed  money, 
and  would  choke  up  his  throat  with  March  dust  before 
he  would  let  the  landlord  make  chalks  against  him 
behind  the  door  for  a  beer-score.  What  pins  and 
needles  trademen's  bills  must  stick  in  a  fellow's  soul! 

A  pig  on  credit  always  grunts.  Without  debt,  with- 
out care;  out  of  debt,  out  of  danger:  but  owing  and 
borrowing  are  bramble-bushes  full  of  thorns.  If  ever 
I  borrow  a  spade  of  my  next-door  neighbor  I  never 
feel  safe  with  it  for  fear  I  should  break  it ;  I  never  can 
dig  in  peace  as  I  do  with  my  own  :  but  if  I  had  a  spade 
at  the  shop  and  knew  I  could  not  pay  for  it,  I  think  I 
should  set  to  dig  my  own  grave  out  of  shame.  Scrip- 
ture says,  "  Owe  no  man  anything,"  which  does  not 
mean  pay  your  debts,  but  never  have  any  to  pay;  and 
my  opinion  is,  that  those  who  wilfully  break  this  law 
ought  to  be  turned  out  of  the  Christian  Church,  neck 
and  crop  as' we  say. 

Rich  Bankrupts. 

Our  laws  are  shamefully  full  of  encouragement  to 
credit ;  nobody  need  be  a  thief  now ;  he  has  only  to 


JOHN   ploughman's   TALK.  435 

open  a  shop  and  make  a  fail  of  it,  and  it  will  pay  him 
much  better ;  as  the  proverb  is,  "  He  who  never  fails 
will  never 'grow  rich."  Why,  1  know  tradesmen  who 
have  failed  five  or  six  times,  and  yet  think  they  are  on 
the  road  to  heaven.  The  scoundrels,  what  would  they 
do  if  they  got  there  ?  They  are  a  deal  more  likely  to 
go  where  they  shall  never  come  out  till  they  have  paid 
the  uttermost  farthing.  But  people  say,  "  How  liberal 
they  are !  "     Yes,  with  other  people's  money. 

I  hate  to  see  a  man  steal  a  ooose,  and  then  orive 
religion  the  giblets.  Piety  by  all  means,  but  pay  your 
way  as  part  of  it.  Honesty  first,  and  then  generosity. 
But  how  often  religion  is  a  cloak  for  deceiving! 
There's  Mrs.  Scamp  as  fine  as  a  peacock,  all  the  girls 
out  at  boarding-school,  learning  French  and  the  piano, 
the  boys  swelling  about  in  kid  gloves,  and  G.  B. 
Scamp,  Esq.,  driving  a  fast-trotting  mare,  and  taking 
the  chair  at  public  meetings,  while  his  poor  creditors 
cannot  o^et  more  than  enouQ-h  to  live  from  hand  to 
mouth. 

Genteel  Swindlers. 

It  is  shameful  and  beyond  endurance  to  see  how 
genteel  swindling  is  winked  at  by  many  in  this  country. 
I'd  off  wnth  their  white  waistcoats  and  kid  Moves  and 
patent-leather  boots,  if  I  had  my  way,  and  give  them 
the  county  crop  and  the  prison  livery  for  six  months. 
Gentlemen  or  not,  I'd  let  them  see  that  bie  ro2"ues 
could  dance  on  the  treadmill  to  the  same  tune  as  little 
ones;  I'd  make  the  land  too  hot  to  hold  such  scamp- 
ing gentry  if  I  were   a  member  of  Parliament  or  a 


436  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

prime  minister.  As  I've  no  such  power,  I  can  at  least 
write  against  the  fellows,  and  let  off  the  steam  of  my 
wrath  in  that  way. 

My  motto  is  :  Pay  as  you  go,  and  keep  from  small 
scores.  Short  reckonings  are  soon  cleared.  Pay 
what  you  owe,  and  what  you're  worth  you'll  know. 
Let  the  clock  tick,  but  no  ''tick''  for  me.  Better  go 
to  bed  without  your  supper  than  get  up  in  debt.  Sins 
and  debt  are  always  more  than  we  think  them  to  be. 
Little  by  little  a  man  gets  over  his  head  and  ears.  It 
is  the  petty  expenses  that  empty  the  purse.  Money 
is  round,  and  rolls  away  easily. 

Buying  What  You  Don't  Want. 

Tom  Thrifdess  buys  what  he  does  not  want  because 
it  is  a  great  bargain,  and  so  is  soon  brought  to  sell 
what  he  does  want,  and  finds  it  a  very  little  bargain  ; 
he  cannot  say  "  No  "  to  his  friend  who  wants  him  to 
be  security.  He  gives  grand  dinners,  makes  many 
holidays,  keeps  a  fat  table,  lets  his  wife  dress  fine, 
never  looks  after  his  servants,  and  by  and  by  he  is 
quite  surprised  to  find  the  quarter-days  come  round  so 
very  fast,  and  that  his  creditors  bark  so  loud.  He  has 
sowed  his  money  in  the  field  of  thoughtlessness,  and 
now  he  wonders  that  he  has  to  reap  the  harvest  of 
poverty.  Still  he  hopes  for  something  to  turn  up  to 
help  him  out  of  difficulty,  and  so  muddles  himself  into 
more  trouble,  forgetting  that  hope  and  expectations 
are  fools'  income.  Being  hard  up,  he  goes  to  market 
with   empty  pockets,   and   buys   at   whatever  prices 


JOHN    ploughman's   TALK.  437 

tradesmen  like  to  charge  him,  and  so  he  pays  them 
double,  and  gets  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  mire. 

This  leads  him  to  scheming,  and  trying  little  tricks 
and  mean  dodges,  for  it  is  hard  for  an  empty  sack  to 
stand  upright.    This  is  sure  not  to  answer,  for  schemes 
are  like  spiders'   webs,  which    never  catch   anything 
better  than  flies,  and  are  soon  swept  away.     As  well 
attempt  to  mend  your  shoes  with  brown    paper,  or 
stop  a  broken  window  with  a  sheet  of  ice,  as  try  to 
patch    up    falling    business    with    manoeuvring   and 
scheming.     When  the  schemer  is  found  out,  he  is  like 
a  dog  in  church,  whom  everybody  kicks  at,  and  like  a 
barrel  of  powder,  which  nobody  wants  fOr  a  neighbor. 
Payingr  by  BorroAving^. 
They  say  poverty  is  a  sixth  sense,  and  it  had  need 
be,  for  many  debtors  seem  to  have  lost  the  other  five, 
or  were  born  without  common  sense,  for  they  appear 
to  fancy  that  you  not  only  make  debts,  but  pay  them 
by  borrowing.     A  man  pays  Peter  with  what  he  has 
borrowed  of  Paul,  and  thinks  he  is  getting  out  of  his 
difficulties,  when  he  is  putting  one  foot  in  the  mud  to 
pull  his  other  foot  out.     It  is  hard  to  shave  an  egg,  or 
pull  hairs  out  of  a  bald  pate ;  but  they  are  both  easier 
than  paying  debts  out  of  an  empty  pocket. 

Samson  was  a  strong  man,  but  he  could  not  pay 
debts  without  money,  and  he  is  a  fool  who  thinks  he 
can  do  it  by  scheming.  As  to  borrowing  money  of 
loan  societies,  it's  like  a  drowning  man  catching  at 
razors ;  both  Jews  and  Gentiles,  when  they  lend 
money,  generally  pluck  the  geese  as  long  as  they  have 


438  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

any  feathers.  A  man  must  cut  down  his  outgoings 
and  save  his  incomings  if  he  wants  to  clear  himself; 
you  can't  spend  your  penny  and  pay  debts  with  it  too. 
Stint  the  kitchen  if  your  purse  is  bare.  Don't  believe 
in  any  way  of  wiping  out  debts  except  by  paying  hard 
cash.  Promises  make  debts,  and  debts  make  promises, 
but  promises  never  pay  debts ;  promising  is  one 
thing,  and  performing  is  quite  another.  A  good  man's 
word  should  be  as  binding  as  an  oath,  and  he  should 
never  promise  to  pay  unless  he  has  clear  prospect  of 
doing  so  in  due  time ;  those  who  stave  off  payment 
by  false  promises  deserve  no  mercy.  It  is  all  very 
well  to  say,  "  I'm  very  sorry,"  but 

"  A  hundred  years  of  regret 
Pay  not  a  farthing  of  debt." 

Now  I'm  afraid  all  this  sound  advice  might  as  well 
have  been  given  to  my  master's  cocks  and  hens  as  to 
those  who  have  got  in  the  way  of  spending  what  is 
not  their  own,  for  advice  to  such  people  goes  in  at  one 
ear  and  out  at  the  other.  Well,  those  who  won't  lis- 
ten will  have  to  feel,  and  those  who  refuse  cheap 
advice  will  have  to  buy  dear  repentance  ;  but  to  young 
people  beginning  life,  a  word  may  be  worth  a  world, 
and  this  shall  be  John  Ploughman's  short  sermon,  with 
three  heads  to  it — always  live  a  little  below  your  means, 
never  get  into  debt,  and  remember 

' '  He  who  goes  a  borrowing 
Goes  a  sorrowing." 


JOHN  ploughman's   TALK.  439 


A   MAN   IN   A   PASSION   RIDES  A  HORSE  THAT  RUNS 
AWAY  WITH  HIM. 

When  passion  has  run  away  with  a  man,  who  knows 
where  it  will  carry  him  ?  Once  let  a  rider  lose  power 
over  his  horse,  and  he  may  go  over  hedge  and  ditch, 
and  end  with  a  tumble  into  the  stone-quarry  and  a 
broken  neck.  No  one  can  tell  in  cold  blood  what  he 
may  do  when  he  gets  angry  ;  therefore  it  is  best  to  run 
no  risks.  Those  who  feel  their  temper  rising  will  be 
wise  if  they  rise  themselves  and  walk  off  to  the  pump. 
Let  them  fill  their  mouths  with  cold  water,  hold  it  there 
ten  minutes  at  the  least,  and  then  go  indoors  and  keep 
there  till  they  feel  cool  as  a  cucumber. 

If  you  carry  loose  gunpowder  in  your  pocket,  you 
had  better  not  go  where  sparks  are  flying ;  and  if  you 
are  bothered  with  an  irritable  nature,  you  should  move 
off  when  folks  begin  teasing  you.  Better  keep  out  of 
a  quarrel  than  fight  your  way  through  it. 

Nothing  is  improved  by  anger,  unless  it  be  the  arch 
of  a  cat's  back.  A  man  with  his  back  up  is  spoiling 
his  figure.  People  look  none  the  handsomer  for  be- 
inor  red  in  the  face.  It  takes  a  gfreat  deal  out  of  a  man 
to  get  into  a  towering  rage  ;  it  is  almost  as  unhealthy 
as  having  a  fit,  and  time  has  been  when  men  have 
actually  choked  themselves  with  passion,  and  died  on 
the  spot.  Whatever  wrong  I  suffer,  it  cannot  do  me 
half  so  much  hurt  as  being  angry  about  it ;  for  pas- 
sion shortens  life  and  poisons  peace. 


440  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

Thunder-storms  Curdle  Milk. 

When  once  we  give  way  to  temper,  temper  will 
claim  a  right  of  way,  and  come  in  easier  every  time. 
He  that  will  be  in  a  pet  for  any  little  thing  will  soon 
be  out  at  elbows  about  nothing  at  all.  A  thunder- 
storm curdles  the  milk,  and  so  does  a  passion  sour  the 
heart  and  spoil  the  character. 

He  who  is  in  a  tantrum  shuts  his  eyes  and  opens 
his  mouth,  and  very  soon  says  what  he  will  be  sorry 
for.  Better  bite  your  lips  now  than  smart  for  life.  It 
is  easier  to  keep  a  bull  out  of  a  china  shop  than  it  is 
to  get  him  out  again  ;  and,  besides,  there's  no  end  of 
a  bill  to  pay  for  damages. 

A  man  burninof  with  ano-er  carries  a  murderer  in- 
side  his  waistcoat ;  the  sooner  he  can  cool  down,  the 
better  for  himself  and  all  around  him.  He  will  have 
to  orive  an  account  for  his  feelino-s,  as  well  as  for  his 
words  and  actions,  and  that  account  will  cost  him 
many  tears.  It  is  a  cruel  thing  to  tease  quick-tem- 
pered people,  for,  though  it  may  be  sport  to  you,  it  is 
death  to  them ;  at  least,  it  is  death  to  their  peace,  and 
may  be  something  worse.  We  know  who  said,  "  Woe 
to  that  man  by  whom  the  offence  cometh." 
Put  Him  in  an  Iron  Cag-e. 

Shun  a  furious  man  as  you  would  a  mad  dog  ;  but 
do  it  kindly,  or  you  may  make  him  worse  than  he 
would  be.  Don't  put  a  man  out  when  you  know  he 
is  out  with  himself.  When  his  monkey  is  up  be  very 
careful,  for  he  means  mischief. 


JOHN    ploughman's   TALK.  441 

"A  man  in  a  rage 
Needs  a  gi  eat  iron  cage ; 
He'll  tear  and  he'll  dash 
Till  he  comes  to  a  smash; 
So  let's  out  of  his  way 
As  quick  as  we  may." 

As  we  quietly  move  off,  let  us  pray  for  the  angry 
person ;  for  a  man  in  a  thorough  passion  is  as  sad  a 
si^ht  as  to  see  a  neig-hbor's  house  on  fire,  and  no 
water  handy  to  put  out  the  flames. 

Let  us  wish  the  fellow  on  the  runaway  horse  a  soft 
ditch  to  tumble  in,  and  sense  enough  never  to  get  on 
the  creature's  back  again. 


EVERY  BIRD  LIKES  ITS  OWN  NEST. 

It  pleases  me  to  see  how  fond  the  birds  are  of  their 
little  homes.  No  doubt  each  one  thinks  his  own  nest 
is  the  very  best:  and  so  it  is  for  him,  just  as  my  home 
is  the  best  palace  for  me,  even  for  me.  King  John,  the 
king  of  the  Cottage  of  Content.  I  will  ask  no  more 
if  Providence  only  continues  to  give  me 

"A  little  field  well  tilled, 
A  little  house  well  filled, 
And  a  little  wife  well  willed." 

An  Englishman's  house  is  his  castle,  and  the  true 
Briton  is  always  fond  of  the  old  roof-tree.  Green 
grows  the  houseleek  on  the  thatch,  and  sweet  is  the 
honeysuckle  at  the  porch,  and  dear  are  the  gillyflowers 
in  the  front  garden  ;  but  best  of  all  is  the  good  wife 
within,  who  keeps  all  as  neat  as  a  new  pin.     French- 


442  CHOICE    selections;. 

men  may  live  in  their  coffee-houses,  but  an  English- 
man's best  life  is  seen  at  home. 

"  My  own  house,  though  small, 
Is  the  best  house  of  all." 

When  boys  get  tired  of  eating  tarts,  and  maids  have 
done  with  winning  hearts,  and  lawyers  cease  to  take 
their  fees,  and  leaves  leave  off  to  grow  on  trees,  then 
will  John  Ploughman  cease  to  love  his  own  dear  home. 
John  likes  to  hear  some  sweet  voice  P.ing, — 

"  'Mid  pleasures  and  palaces  though  \vf  may  roam, 
Be  it  ever  so  humble,  there's  no  place  like  home ; 
A  charm  from  the  sky  seems  to  hallow  us  there, 
Which,  wherever  we  rove,  is  not  met  with  elsewhere. 

Home !  Home  !  sweet,  swiet  home ! 

There's  no  place  like  home  !  " 

People  who  take  no  pleasure  in  their  own  homes  are 
queer  folks,  and  no  better  than  they  should  be.  Every 
dog  is  a  lion  at  his  .own  door,  and  a  man  should  make 
most  of  those  who  make  most  of  him.  Women  should 
be  housekeepers,  and  keep  in  the  house. 

Busy  Mrs.  Cackle. 

That  man  is  to  be  pitied  who  has  married  one  of 
the  Miss  Gadabouts.  Mrs.  Cackle  and  her  friend 
Mrs.  Dressemout  are  enough  to  drive  their  husbands 
into  the  county  jail  for  shelter;  there  can  be  no  peace 
where  such  a  piece  of  goods  as  either  of  them  is  to  be 
found,     OVJ  Tusser  said: 

"  111  huswifery  pricketh 

Herself  up  with  pride  ; 
Good  huswifery  iricketh 
Her  house  as  a  bride. 


JOHN    ploughman's    TALK.  443 

"  111  huswifery  moveth 
With  gossip  to  spend ; 
Good  huswifery  loveth 
Her  household  to  tend." 

The  woman  whose  husband  wastes  his  evenings 
with  low  fellows  at  the  beershop  is  as  badly  off  as  a 
slave;  and  when  the  act  of  ParHament  shuts  up  most 
of  these  ruin-houses,  it  will  be  an  act  of  emancipation 
for  her.  Good  husbands  cannot  have  too  much  of 
their  homes,  and  if  their  wives  make  their  homes  com- 
fortable they  will  soon  grow  proud  of  them.  When 
good  fathers  get  among  their  children  they  are  as 
merry  as  mice  in  malt. 

Poor,  Tired  Soul! 

Our  Joe  Scroggs  says  he  is  tired  of  his  house,  and 
the  house  certainly  looks  tired  of  him,  for  it  is  all  out 
of  windows,  and  would  get  out  of  doors  if  it  knew  how. 
He  will  never  be  weary  in  well-doing,  for  he  never 
began.  What  a  different  fellow  he  would  be  if  he 
could  believe  that  the  best  side  of  the  world  is  a  man's 
own  fireside  !     I  know  It  is  so,  and  so  do  many  more. 

"  Seek  home  for  rest, 
For  home  is  best." 

What  can  it  be  that  so  deludes  lots  of  people  who 
ought  to  know  better  ?  They  have  sweet  wives  and 
nice  families  and  comfortable  houses,  and  they  are 
several  cuts  above  us  poor  country  bumpkins,  and  yet 
they  must  be  out  of  an  evening.  What  is  it  for? 
Surely  it  can't  be  the  company;  for  the  society  of  the 
woman  you  love,  who  is  the  mother  of  your  children, 


444  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

is  worth  all  the  companies  that  ever  met  together.  I 
fear  they  are  away  soaking  their  clay,  and  washing  all 
their  wits  away.  If  so,  it  is  a  great  shame,  and  those 
who  are  guilty  of  it  ought  to  be  trounced.  Oh!  that 
drink,  that  drink ! 

The  Best  Home-brewed. 
Dear,  dear,  what  stuff  people  will  pour  into  their 
insides !  Even  if  I  had  to  be  poisoned  I  should  like 
to  know  what  I  was  swallowing.  A  cup  of  tea  at 
home  does  people  a  sight  more  good  than  all  the  mix- 
tures you  get  abroad.  There's  nothing  like  the  best 
home-brewed,  and  there's  no  better  mash-tub  for  mak- 
ing it  in  than  the  old-fashioned  earthenware  teapot. 
Our  little  children  sing,  "  Please,  father,  come  home," 
and  John  Ploughman  joins  with  thousands  of  little 
children  in  that  simple  prayer,  which  every  man  who 
is  a  man  should  be  glad  to  answer.  I  like  to  see 
husband  and  wife  longing  to  see  each  other. 

"  An  ear  that  waits  to  catch 
A  hand  upon  the  latch  ; 
A  step  that  hastens  its  sweet  rest  to  win. 
A  world  of  care  without, 
A  world  of  strife  shut  out, 
A  world  of  love  shut  in." 

Fellow-workmen,  try  to  let  it  be  so  with  you  and 
your  wives.  Come  home  and  bring  your  wages  with 
you,  and  make  yourselves  happy  by  making  every  one 
happy  around  you. 

A  Thankful  Heart. 

My  printer  jogs  niy  elbow,  and  says,  "That  will 
do;  I  can't  get  any  more  in."     Then,  Mr.  Passmore,. 


JOHN    ploughman's   TALK.  445 

I  must  pass  over  many  things,  but  I  cannot  leave  off 
without  praising  God  for  his  goodness  to  me  and  mine, 
and  all  my  brother  ploughmen,  for  it  is  of  his  great 
mercy  that  he  lets  us  live  in  this  dear  old  country, 
and  loads  us  with  so  many  benefits. 

This  bit  of  poetry  shall  be  my  finish.  I  mean  every 
word  of  it.     Let  us  sino;  it  tooether: 

"  What  pleasant  groves,  what  goodly  fields! 

What  fiuitful  hills  and  vales  have  we  t 
How  sweet  an  air  our  climate  yields! 

How  blest  with  flocks  and  herds  we  be ! 
How  milk  and  honey  doth  o'erflow  1 

How  clear  and  wholesome  are  our  springs! 
How  safe  from  ravenous  beasts  we  go ! 

And  oh,  how  free  from  poisonous  things  ! 

"  For  these  and  for  our  grass,  our  corn, 

For  all  that  springs  from  blade  or  bough, 
For  all  those  blessings  that  adorn 

Both  wood  and  field,  this  kingdom  through— 
For  all  of  these  Thy  praise  we  sing: 

And  humbly.  Lord,  entreat  thee  too. 
That  fruit  to  thee  we  forth  may  bring. 

As  unto  us  thy  creatures  do." 

TRY. 
C)f  all  the  pretty  little  songs  I  have  ever  heard  my 
youngsters  sing,  that  is  one  of  the  best  which  winds 
up,— 

"  If  at  first  you  don't  succeed, 
Try,  try,  try  again." 

I  recommend  it  to  grown-up  people  Avho  are  down 
in  the  mouth,  and  fancy  that  the  best  thing  they  can 
do  is  to  give  up.  Nobody  knows  what  he  can  do  till 
he  tries.     "  We  shall  get  through  it  now,"  said  Jack  to 


446  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

Harry,  as  they  finished  up  the  pudding.  Everything 
new  is  hard  work,  but  a  Uttle  of  the  "  Try  "  ointment 
rubbed  on  the  hand  and  worked  into  the  heart  makes 
all  things  easy. 

CaTCt  do  it  sticks  in  the  mud,  but  Try  soon  drags 
the  wagon  out  of  the  rut.  The  fox  said  Try,  and  he 
got  away  from  the  hounds  when  they  almost  snapped 
at  him.  The  bees  said  Try,  and  turned  flowers  into 
honey.  The  squirrel  said  Try,  and  up  he  went  to  the 
top  of  the  beech-tree.  The  snowdrop  said  Try,  and 
bloomed  in  the  cold  snows  of  winter.  The  sun  said 
Try,  and  the  spring  soon  threw  Jack  Frost  out  of  the 
saddle.  The  young  lark  said  Try,  and  he  found  his 
new  wings  took  him  over  hedges  and  ditches,  and  up 
where  his  father  was  singing.  The  ox  said  Try,  and^ 
ploughed  the  field  from  end  to  end.  No  hill  too  steep 
for  Try  to  climb,  no  clay  too  stiff  for  Try  to  plough, 
no  field  too  wet  for  Try  to  drain,  no  hole  too  big  for 
Try  to  mend. 

"  By  little  strokes 
Men  fell  great  oaks." 

By  a  spadeful  at  a  time  the  navvies  digged  the  cut- 
ting, cut  a  big  hole  through  the  hill,  and  heaped  up 
the  embankment. 

•'  The  stone  is  hard,  and  the  drop  is  small. 
But  a  hole  is  made  by  the  constant  fall." 


FEATHERS   FOR   ARROWS; 

OR, 

LIFE  THOUGHTS  OF  REV.  C.  H.  SPURGEON. 


The  Power  of  an  Kaniest  Life. 

The  upper  galleries  at  Versailles  are  filled  with  por- 
traits, many  of  them  extremely  valuable  and  ancient. 
These  are  the  likenesses  of  the  greatest  men  of  all 
lands  and  ages,  drawn  by  the  ablest  artists.  Yet  most 
visitors  wander  through  the  rooms  with  little  or  no  in- 
terest ;  in  fact,  after  noticino-  one  or  two  of  the  more 
prominent  pictures,  they  hasten  through  the  suite  of 
chambers  and  descend  to  the  other  floors.  Notice 
the  change  when  the  sightseers  come  to  fine  paintings 
like  those  of  Horace  Vernet,  where  the  men  and 
women  are  not  inactive  portraits,  but  are  actively  en- 
gaged. There  the  warrior,  who  was  passed  by  without 
notice  upstairs,  is  seen  hewing  his  way  to  glory  over 
heaps  of  slain,  or  the  statesman  is  observed  delivering 
himself  of  weighty  words  before  an  assembly  of 
princes  and  peers.  Not  the  men  but  their  actions  en- 
gross attention.  Portraits  have  no  charm  when  scenes 
of  stirring  interest  are  set  in  rivalry  with  them.  After 
all,  then,  let  us  be  who  or  what  we  may,  we  must  be- 
stir ourselves  or  be  mere  nobodies,  chips  in  the  por- 
ridg^e,  forgotten  shells  of  the  shore.     If  we  would  im- 


Avr 


448  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

press  we  must  act.  The  dignity  of  standing  still  will 
never  win  the  prize,  we  must  run  for  it.  Our  influ- 
ence over  our  times  will  arise  mainly  from  our  doing 
and  suffering  the  will  of  God,  not  from  our  office  or 
person.  Life,  life  in  earnest,  life  for  God,  this  will  tell 
on  the  age;  but  mere  orderliness  and  propriety,  inac- 
tive and  passionless,  will  be  utterly  inoperative. 

Trial  of  Faith. 

At  the  battle  of  Crecy,  where  Edward,  the  Black 
Prince,  then  a  youth  of  eighteen  years  of  age,  led  the 
van,  the  king,  his  father,  drew  up  a  strong  party  on  a 
rising  ground,  and  there  beheld  the  conflict  in  readi- 
ness to  send  relief  when"  it  should  be  wanted.  The 
young  prince  being  sharply  charged,  and  in  some  dan- 
ger, sent  to  his  father  for  succor;  and  as  the  king  de- 
layed to  send  it,  another  messenger  was  sent  to  crave 
immediate  assistance.  To  him  the  king  replied,  "  Go, 
tell  my  son  that  I  am  not  so  inexperienced  a  com- 
mander as  not  to  know  when  succor  is  wanted,  nor  so 
careless  a  father  as  not  to  send  it."  He  intended  the 
honor  of  the  day  should  be  his  son's,  and  therefore 
let  him  with  courage  stand  to  it,  assured  that  help 
should  be  had  when  it  might  conduce  most  to  his  re- 
nown. God  draws  forth  his  servants  to  fight  in  the 
spiritual  warfare,  where  they  are  engaged,  not  only 
against  the  strongholds  of  carnal  reason,  and  the  ex- 
alted imaginations  of  their  own  hearts,  but  also  in  the 
pitched  field  against  Satan  and  his  wicked  instruments. 
But  they,  poor  hearts,  when  the  charge  is  sharp,  are 
ready  to  despond,  and  cry  with  Peter,  "  Save,  Lord, 


FiHB.iwainiinAw.^i&^wiva:v*  '>iCn'w.<iP9w.''x\K'iw<r'^wai>'Br^n»jr . 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 


449 


we  perish  ;  "  but  God  is  too  watchful  to  overlook  their 
exiorencies,  and  too  much  a  Father  to  neglect  their 
succor.  If  help,  however,  be  delayed,  it  is  that  the 
victory  may  be  more  glorious  by  the  difficulty  of 
overcominof. 

Gratitude. 
There  is  a  very  touching  little  story  told  of  a  poor 
woman  with  two  children,  who  had  not  a  bed  for  them 
to  lie  upon,  and  scarcely  any  clothes  to  cover  them. 
In  the  depth  of  winter  they  were  nearly  frozen,  and 
the  mother  took  the  door  of  a  cellar  off  the  hinores, 
and  set  it  up  before  the  corner  where  they  crouched 
down  to  sleep,  that  some  of  the  draught  and  cold 
might  be  kept  from  them.  One  of  the  children  whis- 
pered to  her,  when  she  complained  of  how  badly  off 
they  were,  "  Mother,  what  do  those  dear  little  children 
do  who  have  no  cellar  door  to  put  up  in  front  of 
them?"  Even  there,  you  see,  the  little  heart  found 
cause  for  thankfulness. 

Growth  in  Grace. 

The  venders  of  flowers  in  the  streets  of  London 
are  wont  to  commend  them  to  customers  by  crying, 
"All  a  blowinofand  a  orowinof."     It  would  be  no  small 

o  o  o 

praise  to  Christians  if  we  could  say  as  much  for  them, 
but,  alas !  of  too  many  professors  the  cry  would  truth- 
fully be,  "All  a  stunting  and  a  withering." 

Grumblers. 

A  heavy  wagon  was  being  dragged  along  a  country 
lane  by  a  team  of  oxen.  The  axle-trees  groaned  and 
creaked  terribly,  when  the  oxen  turning  round,  thus 

2d 


450  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

addressed  the  wheels :  "  Halloa,  there !  why  do  you 
make  so  much  noise  ?  we  bear  all  the  labor,  and  we, 
not  you,  ought  to  cry  out!  "  Those  complain  first  in 
our  churches  who  have  least  to  do.  The  gift  of 
grumbling  is  largely  dispensed  among  those  who  have 
no  other  talents,  or  who  keep  what  they  have  wrapped 
up  in  a  napkin. 

Destructive  Power  of  Habits. 

The  surgeon  of  a  regiment  in  India  relates  the  fol- 
lowing  incident: — "A  soldier  rushed  into  the  tent  to 
inform  me  that  one  of  his  comrades  was  drowning  in 
a  pond  close  by,  and  nobody  could  attempt  to  save  him 
in  consequence  of  the  dense  weeds  which  covered  the 
surface.  On  repairing  to  the  spot,  we  found  the  poor 
fellow  in  his  last  struggle,  manfully  attempting  to  ex- 
tricate himself  from  the  meshes  of  rope-like  grass 
that  encircled  his  body ;  but,  to  all  appearances,  the 
more  he  labored  to  escape,  the  more  firmly  they  be- 
came coiled  round  his  limbs.  At  last  he  sank,  and  the 
floating  plants  closed  in,  and  left  not  a  trace  of  the 
disaster.  After  some  delay,  a  raft  was  made,  and  we 
put  off  to  the  spot,  and  sinking  a  pole  some  twelve 
feet,  a  native  dived,  holding  on  by  the  stake,  and 
brought  the  body  to  the  surface,  I  shall  never  forget 
the  expression  on  the  dead  man's  face — the  clenched 
teeth,  and  fearful  distortion  of  the  countenance,  while 
coils  of  long  trailing  weeds  clung  round  his  body  and 
limbs,  the  muscles  of  which  stood  out  stiff  and  rigid, 
whilst  his  hands  grasped  thick  masses,  showing  how 
bravely  he  had  struggled  for  life." 


I  rJi^imtK>itrai,jtSr^m9W9:r^  "«r-t  w-ve?*  'j^sm.-^mwryi^ti^-atir'^vmjm 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS.  451 

This  heart-rending  picture  is  a  terribly  accurate 
representation  of  a  man  with  a  conscience  alarmed  by 
remorse,  strueelinsf  with  his  sinful  habits,  but  finding 
them  too  strong  for  him.  Divine  grace  can  save  the 
wretch  from  his  unhappy  condition,  but  if  he  be  desti- 
tute of  that,  his  remorseful  agonies  will  but  make  him 
more  hopelessly  the  slave  of  his  passions.  Laocoon, 
in  vain  endeavoring  to  tear  off  the  serpents'  coils  from 
himself  and  children,  apdy  portrays  the  long-enslaved 
sinner  contending  with  sin  in  his  own  strength.  "  Can 
the  Ethiopian  change  his  skin,   or  the    leopard  his 

spots  ?  " 

Power  of  Evil. 

So  long  as  a  man  is  dead  in  trespasses  and  sin, 
there  is  no  iniquity  which  may  not  get  the  mastery  of 
him.  Where  the  body  is,  thither  will  the  vultures  of 
hell  be  gathered  together.  The  devil,  finding  him 
dead,  calls  up  his  hosts  of  temptations  and  his  bands 
of  evils  to  feed  on  him.  The  great  destroyer,  who  at 
other  times  is  as  a  lion,  often  plays  the  part  of  a  jackal, 
whose  cry,  when  it  finds  its  prey,  is  said  to  sound  ex- 
actly like  the  words — 

"  Dead  Hindoo,  dead  Hindoo  ! 
Whfere,  wliSre,  whfere,  whfire  ? 
Here,  here,  here,  here  !  " 

Nothing  but  the  new  life  can  secure  a  man  from  the 
worst  fiends  in  the  Pandemonium  of  vice,  for  they 
gather  like  a  scattered  pack  to  a  feast  when  they  hear 
their  master  cry — 


*S2  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

Dead  sinner,  dead  sinner ! 
Wliere,  where,  where,  where  ? 
Here,  here,  here,  here  ! 

Vices  seldom  come  alone ;  where  there  is  room  for 
one  devil,  seven  odier  spirits  more  wicked  than  him- 


PUNISHMENT  OF  SIN— ADAM  AND  EVE  DRIVEN  FROM  PARADISE 

self  will  find  a  lodging.     We  may  say  of  sins  as  Long- 
fellow of  birds  of  prey,  in  his  song  of  Hiawatha: 

"  Never  stoops  the  soaring  vulture 
On  his  quarry  in  the  desert. 
On  the  sick  or  wounded  bison. 
But  another  vulture  watching, 
From  his  high  aerial  look-out 
Sees  the  downward  plunge  and  follows; 
And  a  third  pursues  the  second, 
Coming  from  the  invisible  ether, 
First  a  speck,  and  then  a  vulture. 
Till  the  air  is  dark  with  uioionv'* 


~rvifMi»-e^r 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS.  453 

Punishment  of  Sin. 

What  a  diabolical  invention  was  the  "  Virgin's  kiss," 
once  used  by  the  fathers  of  the  Inquisition  !  The  vic- 
tim was  pushed  forward  to  kiss  the  image,  when,  lo, 
its  arms  enclosed  him  in  a  deadly  embrace,  piercing 
his  body  with  a  hundred  hidden  knives.  The  tempt- 
ing pleasures  of  sin  offer  to  the  unwary  just  such  a 
virgin's  kiss.  The  sinful  joys  of  the  flesh  lead,  even 
in  this  world,  to  results  most  terrible,  while  in  the 
world  to  come  the  daggers  of  remorse  and  despair 
will  cut  and  wound  beyond  all  remedy. 
Excuse  for  Sin. 

A  traveller  in  Venezuela  illustrates  the  readiness  of 
men  to  lay  their  faults  on  the  locality,  or  on  anything 
rather  than  themselves,  by  the  story  of  a  hard  drinker 
who  came  home  one  night  in  such  a  condition  that  he 
could  not  for  some  time  find  his  hammock.  When 
this  feat  was  accomplished,  he  tried  in  vain  to  get  off 
his  big  riding-boots.  After  many  fruitless  efforts  he 
lay  down  in  his  hammock,  and  soliloquized  aloud, 
"  Well,  I  have  travelled  all  the  world  over  ;  I  lived  five 
years  in  Cuba,  four  in  Jamaica,  five  in  Brazil,  I  have 
travelled  through  Spain  and  Portugal,  and  been  in 
Africa,  but  I  never  yet  was  in  such  an  abominable 
country  as  this,  where  a  man  is  obliged  to  go  to  bed 
with  his  boots  on." 

Commonly  enough  are  we  told  by  evildoers  in  ex- 
cuse for  their  sins  that  no  man  could  do  otherwise 
were  he  in  their  position,  that  there  is  no  living  at  their 
trade  honesdy,  that  in   such  a  street  shops  must  be 


454  REV.    CHARLES    H.    SPURGEON. 

Open  on  a  Sunday,  that  their  health  required  an  excur- 
sion to  Brighton  on  the  Sabbath  because  their  labors 
were  so  severe,  that  nobody  could  be  religious  in  the 
house  in  which  they  were  engaged,  and  so  on,  all  to 
the  same  effect,  and  about  as  truthful  as  the  soliloquy 
of  the  drunkard  of  Venezuela. 

Doingr  Good  a  Blessing  to  Ourselves, 

If  we  view  this  microcosm,  the  human  body,  we 
shall  find  that  the  heart  does  not  receive  the  blood  to 
store  it  up,  but  while  it  pumps  it  in  at  one  valve,  it 
sends  it  forth  at  another.  The  blood  is  always  circu- 
lating everywhere,  and  is  stagnant  nowhere  ;  the  same 
is  true  of  all  the  fluids  in  a  healthy  body,  they  are  in  a 
constant  state  of  expenditure.  If  one  cell  stores  for 
a  few  moments  its  peculiar  secretion,  it  only  retains  it 
till  it  is  perfectly  fitted  for  its  appointed  use  in  the 
body  ;  for  if  any  cell  in  the  body  should  begin  to  store 
up  its  secretion,  its  store  would  soon  become  the  cause 
of  inveterate  disease ;  nay,  the  organ  would  lose  the 
power  to  secrete  at  all,  if  it  did  not  give  forth  its  pro- 
ducts. The  whole  of  the  human  system  lives  by  giv- 
ing. The  eye  cannot  say  to  the  foot,  I  have  no  need 
of  thee,  and  will  not  guide  thee ;  for  if  it  does  not 
perform  its  watchful  office,  the  whole  man  will  be  in 
the  ditch,  and  the  eye  will  be  covered  with  mire.  If 
the  members  refuse  to  contribute  to  the  general  stock, 
the  whole  body  will  become  poverty-stricken,  and  be 
given  up  to  the  bankruptcy  of  death.  Let  us  learn, 
then,  from  the  analogy  of  nature,  the  great  lesson,  that 
to  get,  we  must  give ;  that  to  accumulate,  we  must 


v.imimnmmmvt  ipm^jaii  mmjK^-'imi'^iimjmsjfm^mw'^W^mr^aKg^iiL.:xsi 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS.  455 

scatter;  that  to  make  ourselves  happy, we  must  make 
others  happy ;  and  that  to  get  good  and  become 
spiritually  vigorous,  we  must  do  good,  and  seek  the 
spiritual  good  of  others. 

Foolish  Doubts. 

A  Christian  once,  in  doubt  and  discouragement,  con- 
sidered the  darkness  that  overspread  her  soul  as  c\ 
proof  that  she  was  finally  cast  away.  She  stumbled' 
over  mole-hills  when  she  should  have  been  removing 
mountains.  To  an  old  minister  who  was  trying  to 
comfort  her,  with  impassioned  emphasis  she  said,  "  Oh  ! 
I'm  dead,  dead,  twice  dead,  and  plucked  up  by  the 
roots!"  After  a  pause,  he  replied,  "Well,  sitting  in 
my  study  the  other  day,  I  heard  a  sudden  scream — 
*  John's  in  the  well !  John's  fallen  into  the  well ! '  Be- 
fore I  could  reach  the  spot,  I  heard  the  sad  mournful 
cry,  'John's  dead — poor  little  Johnny's  dead  ! '  Bend- 
ing over  the  curb,  I  called  out,  'John,  are  you  dead?* 
*Yes,  grandfather,'  replied  John,  '  I'm  dead.'  I  was 
glad  to  hear  it  from  his  own  mouth." 

Many  doubts  are  so  absurd  that  the  only  way  to 
combat  them  is  by  gentle  ridicule. 

Double-Mindedness. 

Faraday  notes  that  whilst  at  breakfast  at  Llangollen, 
he  heard  a  Welsh  harper  playing  in  very  excellent 
style,  and  he  adds,  "  wishing  to  gratify  myself  with  a 
sieht  of  the  interestinof  bard,  I  went  to  the  door  and 
beheld — the  bootblack  !  I  must  confess  I  was  sadly  dis- 
appointed and  extremely  baulked."  It  is  no  small 
stumbling-block  to  souls  when  they  observe  that  pro- 


456  REV.    CHARLES    H.    SPURGEON. 

fessors  who  preach  and  talk  like  men  inspired,  live  as 
meanly  as  worldlings  themselves. 
Spiritual  Dwarfs. 
There  was  once  in  London  a  club  of  small  men 
whose  qualification  for  membership  lay  in  their  not  ex- 
ceeding five  feet  in  height ;  these  dwarfs  held,  or  pre- 
tended to  hold,  the  opinion  that  they  were  nearer  the 
perfection  of  manhood  than  others,  for  they  argued 
that  primeval  men  had  been  far  more  gigantic  than  the 
present  race,  and  consequently  that  the  way  of  pro- 
gress was  to  grow  less  and  less,  and  that  the  human 
race  as  it  perfected  Itself  would  become  as  diminutive 
as  themselves.  Such  a  club  of  Christians  might  be 
established  in  most  cities,  and  without  any  difficulty 
might  attain  to  an  enormously  numerous  membership; 
for  the  notion  is  common  that  our  dwarfish  Christi- 
anity is,  after  all,  the  standard,  and  many  even  imagine 
that  nobler  Christians  are  enthusiasts,  fanatical  and 
hot-blooded,  while  they  themselves  are  cool  because 
they  are  wise,  and  indifferent  because  they  are  in- 
telligent. 

Money-Makiug  Nothing-  but  Play. 

Mr.  Ruskin,  in  his  lecture  on  "Work,"  says: — 
"Whatever  we  do  to  please  ourselves,  and  only  for 
the  sake  of  the  pleasure,  not  for  an  ultimate  object,  is 
'  play,'  the  '  pleasing  thing,'  not  the  useful  thing.  The 
first  of  all  English  games  is  making  money.  That  is 
an  all-absorbingf  game ;  and  we  knock  each  other 
down  oftener  in  playing  at  that  than  at  football,  or  any 
other  rougher  sport ;  and  it  is  absolutely  without  pur- 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS.  467 

pose ;  no  one  who  engages  heartily  in  that  game  ever 
knows  why.  Ask  a  great  money-maker  what  he  wants 
to  do  with  his  money — he  never  knows.  He  doesn't 
make  it  to  do  anything  with  it.  He  gets  it  only  that 
he  may  get  it.  '  What  will  you  make  of  what  you 
have  got?'  you  ask.  'Well,  I'll  get  more,'  he  says. 
Just  as  at  cricket,  you  get  more  runs.  There's  no  use 
in  the  runs,  but  to  get  more  of  them  than  other  people 
is  the  game.  And  there's  no  use  in  the  money,  but  to 
have  more  of  it  than  other  people  is  the  game.  So 
all  that  great  foul  city  of  London  there — rattling, 
growling,  smoking,  stinking — a  ghastly  heap  of  fer- 
menting brickwork,  pouring  out  poison  at  every  pore 
— you  fancy  it  is  a  city  of  work?  Not  a  street  of  it! 
It  is  a  great  city  of  play;  very  nasty  play,  and  very 
hard  play,  but  still  play.  It  is  only  Lord's  Cricket 
Ground  without  the  turf — a  huge  billiard- table  without 
the  cloth,  and  with  pockets  as  deep  as  the  bottomless 
pit,  but  mainly  a  billiard-table  after  all." 

No  Time  for  Making-  Money. 

A  gentleman  of  Boston,  an  intimate  friend  of  Pro- 
fessor Agassiz,  once  expressed  his  wonder  that  a  man 
of  such  abilities  as  he  (Agassiz)  possessed  should  re- 
main contented  with  such  a  moderate  income.  "  I 
have  enough,"  was  Agassiz's  reply.  "  I  have  not  time 
to  make  money.  Life  is  not  sufficiently  long  to  enable 
a  man  to  get  rich,  and  do  his  duty  to  his  fellow-men 
at  the  same  time."  Christian,  have  you  time  to  serve 
your  God  and  yet  to  give  your  whole  soul  to  gaining 
wealth  ?     The  question  is  left  for  conscience  to  answer. 


468  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

The  Moralist. 

The  dahlia  would  surely  be  a  very  empress  among 
flowers  if  it  had  but  perfume  equal  to  its  beauty, 
even  the  rose  might  need  to  look  to  her  sovereignty. 
Florists  have  tried  all  their  arts  to  scent  this  lovely 
child  of  autumn,  but  in  vain  ;  no  fragrance  can  be  de- 


THE  MONEY-CHANGERS  DRIVEN  FROM  THE  TEMPLE. 


veloped  or  produced ;  God  has  denied  the  boon,  and 
human  skill  cannot  impart  it.  The  reflecting  mind 
will  be  reminded  of  those  admirable  characters  which 
are  occasionally  met  with,  in  which  everything  of  good 
repute  and  comely  aspect  may  be  seen,  but  true  re- 
ligion, that  sweet  ethereal  perfume  of  grace,  is  want- 
ing ;  if  they  had  but  love  to  God,  what  lovely  beings 


CHOICE    SELECTIONS.  459 

they  would  be ;  the  best  of  the  saints  could  not  excel 
them,  and  yet  that  fragrant  grace  they  do  not  seek, 
and  after  every  effort  we  may  make  for  their  conver- 
sion, they  remain  content  without  the  one  thing  which 
is  needful  for  their  perfection.  O  that  the  Lord  would 
impart  to  them  the  mystic  sweetness  of  his  grace  by 

the  Holy  Spirit ! 

Motives. 

There  are  overshot  water-wheels  and  undershot. 
In  the  one  case  the  motive  power  falls  from  above,  in 
the  other  the  water  turns  the  wheel  from  below ;  the 
first  is  the  more  powerful.  Men,  like  wheels,  are 
turned  by  forces  from  various  sources,  and  too  many 
move  by  the  undercurrent — mercenary  desires  and  sel- 
fish aims  drive  them  ;  But  the  good  man's  driving  force 
falls  from  above ;  let  him  endeavor  to  prove  to  all 
men  that  this  is  the  most  mighty  force  in  existence. 

Standing  near  the  remarkable  spring  at  Ewell,  in 
Surrey,  and  watching  the  uprising  of  the  waters,  one 
sees  at  the  bottom  of  the  pool  innumerable  circles 
with  smaller  circles  within  them,  from  which  extremely 
fine  sand  is  continually  being  upheaved  by  the  force 
of  the  rising  water.  Tiny  geysers  upheave  their  little 
founts,  and  from  a  myriad  openings  bubble  up  with 
the  clear  crystal.  The  perpetual  motion  of  the  water, 
and  the  leaping  of  the  sand,  are  most  interesting.  It 
is  nf)t  like  the  spring-head  in  the  field,  where  the  cool- 
ing liquid  pours  forth  perpetually  from  a  spout,  all  un- 
seen, till  it  plunges  into  its  channel ;  nor  like  the  river- 
head,  where  the  stream  weeps  from  a  mass  of  mossy 


460  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

rock;  but  here  are  the  fountains  of  earth's  hidden 
deeps  all  unveiled  and  laid  bare,  the  very  veins  of 
nature  opened  to  the  public  gaze. 

How  would  it  amaze  us  if  we  could  in  this  fashion 
peer  into  the  springs  of  human  character  and  see 
■whence  words  and  actions  flow !  What  man  would 
v;ish  to  have  his  designs  and  aims  exposed  to  every 
onlooker?  But  why  this  aversion  to  being  known 
and  read  of  all  men  ?  The  Christian's  motives  and 
springs  of  action  should  be  so  honest  and  pure  that 
he  might  safely  defy  inspection.  He  who  has  nothing 
to  be  ashamed  of  has  nothing  to  conceal.  Sincerity 
can  afford,  like  our  first  parents  in  Paradise,  to  be 
naked  and  not  ashamed. 

If  other  men  cannot  read  oui"  motives,  we  ought  at 
least  to  examine  them  carefully  for  ourselves.  Day 
by  day  with  extreme  rigor  must  we  search  into  our 
hearts.  Motive  is  vital  to  the  goodness  of  an  action. 
He  who  should  give  his  body  to  be  burned  might  yet 
lose  his  soul  if  his  ruling  passion  were  obstinacy,  and 
not  desire  for  God's  glory.  Self  may  be  sought  under 
many  disguises,  and  the  man  may  be  utterly  unaware 
that  thus  he  is  losing  all  acceptance  with  God.  We 
must  not  impute  ill  motives  to  others,  but  we  must  be 
equally  clear  of  another  more  fascinating  habit,  namely, 
that  of  imputing  good  motives  to  ourselves. 

Severity  in  estimating  our  own  personal  character 
very  seldom  becomes  excessive;  our  partiality  is 
usually  more  or  less  blinding  to  our  judgment.  We 
will  not  suspect  ourselves  if  we  can  help  it ;  evidence 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 


461 


must  be  very  powerful  before  it  can  convince  us  of 
being  governed  by  sordid  aims.  The  stream  of  gen- 
erosity does  not  always  spring  from  gratitude  to  God. 
Zeal  is  not  at  all  times  the  offspring  of  deep-seated 
faith.  Even  devotional  habits  may  be  fostered  by 
other  than  holy  affections.  The  highest  wisdom 
suggests  that  we  spend  much  patient  and  impartial 
consideration  upon  a  matter  so  fundamental  as  the 
heart's  intent  in  the  actions  which  it  directs.  "  If  thine 
eye  be  single,  thine  whole  body  shall  be  full  of  light." 
Dear  reader,  stand  by  thine  inner  springs  and  watch, 
and  make  faithful  notes  of  what  thou  seest,  lest  thou 
be  deceived. 

Foolish  Questions. 

The  follies  of  the  schoolmen  should  be  a  warning 
to  all  those  who  would  mingle  metaphysical  specula- 
tions or  prophetical  theories  with  the  simple  doctrines 
of  the  Bible.  There  was  among  those  learned  men 
such  a  rage  for  Aristotle,  that  his  ethics  were  fre- 
quently read  to  the  people  instead  of  the  gospel  and 
the  teachers  themselves  were  employed  either  in 
wresting  the  words  of  Scripture  to  support  the  most 
monstrous  opinions,  or  in  discussing  the  most  trivial 
questions.  Think  of  men  gravely  debating  whether 
the  angel  Gabriel  appeared  to  the  Virgin  Mary  in  the 
shape  of  a  serpent,  of  a  dove,  of  a  man,  or  of  a 
woman?  Did  he  seem  to  be  young  or  old?  In  what 
dress  was  he?  Was  his  orarment  white  or  of  two 
colors  ?  Was  his  linen  clean  or  foul  ?  Did  he  appear 
in  the   morning,   noon,  or  evening  ?     What  was  the 


462  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

color  of  the  Virgin's  hair  ?  etc.  Think  of  all  this  non- 
sense veiled  in  learned  terms  and  obscure  phrases. 

While  human  minds  were  enoraored  in  weavinor  such 
cobwebs  as  these,  no  progress  was  made  in  real 
knowledge,  and  the  gloom  of  the  dark  ages  deepened 
into  ten-fold  nio^ht.  We  are  much  in  danger  of  the 
same  evil  from  another  quarter.  The  reign  of  ob- 
scure nonsense  and  dogmatic  trifling  may  yet  return. 
An  ultra-spiritual  sect  has  arisen  whose  theological 
language  is  a  jargon,  whose  interpretations  are  mysti- 
cal, whose  prophetical  hypotheses  are  ridiculous,  and 
whose  arrogance  is  superlative.  To  leave  the  con- 
sideration of  well-known  soul-saving  truths  to  fight 
over  unimportant  subtleties,  is  to  turn  our  corn-fields 
into  poppy  gardens.  To  imagine  that  the  writers  of 
unintelligible  mysticism  are  men  of  great  depth,  is  to 
find  wisdom  in  the  hootings  of  owls.  True  spirituality 
shuns  the  obscure  and  the  dilettanti,  and  delights  in 
the  plain  and  practical ;  but  there  is  much  to  fascinate 
in  the  superfine  shams  of  the  hour. 

Quintilian  justly  observes  that  the  obscurity  of  an 
author  is  generally  in  proportion  to  his  incapacity ; 
and  we  might  add,  that  the  ferocity  of  a  bigot  is  fre- 
quently in  proportion  to  the  absurdity  of  his  belief. 
Some  are  zealots  for  a  certain  theory  of  666,  and  the 
two  witnesses,  and  the  little  horn,  who  would  be  far 
better  employed  in  training  up  their  children  in  the 
fear  of  God,  or  listening  for  their  instruction  to  a 
sober  preacher  of  the  word  of  God.  It  is  a  most 
fittinor  thinor  to  be  lookinof  for  the  cominof  of  the  Lord, 


CHOICE    SELECTIONS.  463 

but  a  most  miserable  waste  of  time  to  be  spinning 
theories  about  it,  and  allowing  the  millions  around  us 
to  perish  in  their  sins.  Ragged-schools,  orphanages, 
street-preaching,  tract  distributing,  almsgiving,  these 
are  the  present  and  pressing  questions  for  the  Chris- 
tian church;  whether  the  stream  of  the  Euphrates  is 
likely  to  diminish,  or  the  Dead  Sea  to  flow  into  the 
Mediterranean,  may  be  setded  in  less  needy  times. 

Reason  and  Faith. 

An  old  writer  says : — Faith  and  Reason  may  be 
compared  to  two  travellers  :  Faith  is  like  a  man  in  full 
health,  who  can  walk  his  twenty  or  thirty  miles  at  a 
time  without  suffering ;  Reason  is  like  a  little  child 
who  can  only,  with  difficulty,  accomplish  three  or  four 
miles.  "Well,"  says  this  old  writer,  "on  a  given  day 
.Reason  says  to  Faith,  '  O  good  Faith,  let  me  walk 
with  thee  ; '  Faith  replies,  '  O  Reason,  thou  canst  never 
walk  with  me  ! '  However,  to  try  their  paces  they  set 
out  together,  but  they  soon  find  it  hard  to  keep  com- 
pany. When  they  come  to  a  deep  river.  Reason  says, 
'I  can  never  ford  this,'  but  faith  wades  through  it 
singing.  When  they  reach  a  lofty  mountain,  there  is 
the  same  exclamation  of  despair ;  and  in  such  cases. 
Faith,  in  order  not  to  leave  Reason  behind,  is  obliged 
to  carry  him  on  his  back;  and,"  adds  the  writer,  "oh! 
what  a  luggage  is  Reason  to  Faith  !  " 

The  New  Gun. 

A  raw  countryman  having  brought  his  gun  to  the 
gunsmith  for  repairs,  the  latter  is  reported  to  have  ex- 
amined it,  and  finding  it  to  be  almost  too  far  gone  for 


464 


REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 


repairing,  said,  "Your  gun  is  in  a  very  worn-out, 
ruinous,  good-for-nothing  condition;  what  sort  of  re- 
pairing do  you  want  for  it?"  "Well,"  said  the 
countryman,  "  I  don't  see  as  I  can  do  with  anything 
short  of  a  new  stock,  lock,  and  barrel ;  that  ought  to 
set  it  up  again."  "Why,"  said  the  smith,  "you  had 
better  have  a  new  orun  altoofether."  "Ah  !  "  was  the 
reply,  "  I  never  thought  of  that ;  and  it  strikes  me 
that's  just  what  I  do  want,  A  new  stock,  lock,  and 
barrel;  why  that's  about  equal  to  a  new  gun  al to- 
gether, and  that's  what  I'll  have." 

Just  the  sort  of  repairing  that  man's  nature  requires. 
The  old  nature  cast  aside  as  a  complete  wreck  and 
good  for  nothing,  and  a  7iew  one  imparted. 

Religion  must  be  Personal. 

"A  little  girl,  whom  we  will  call  Ellen,  was  some 
time  ago  helping  to  nurse  a  sick  gentleman,  whom  she 
loved  very  dearly.  One  day  he  said  to  her,  '  Ellen,  it 
is  time  for  me  to  take  my  medicine,  I  think.  Will 
you  pour  it  out  forme?  You  must  measure  just  a 
table-spoonful,  and  then  put  it  in  that  wine-glass  close 
by.'  Ellen  quickly  did  so,  and  brought  it  to  his  bed- 
side ;  but,  instead  of  taking  it  in  his  own  hand,  he 
quietly  said,  '  Now,  dear,  will  you  drink  it  for  me  ? ' 
'Me  drink  it!  What  do  you  mean?  I  am  sure  I 
would,  in  a  minute,  if  it  would  cure  you  all  the  same ; 
but  you  know  it  won't  do  you  any  good,  unless  you 
take  it  yourself.'  '  Won't  it  really?  No,  I  suppose  it 
will  not.  But,  Ellen,  if  you  can't  take  my  medicine 
for  me,  I  can't  take  your  salvation  for  you.     You  must 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 


465 


go  to  Jesus,  and  believe  in  him  for  yourself.'  In  this 
way  he  tried  to  teach  her  that  each  human  being  must 
seek  salvation  for  himself,  and  repent,  and  believe,  and 
obey,  for  himself ." 

The  New  Jerusalem. 

"Who,"  saith  an  old  divine,  "chides  a  servant  for 
taking  away  the  first  course  at  a  feast  when  the  second 


THE  NEW  JERUSALEM. 

consists  of  far  greater  delicacies?"  Who  then  can 
feel  regret  that  this  present  world  passeth  away,  when 
he  sees  that  an  eternal  world  of  joy  is  coming  ?  The 
first  course  is  grace,  but  the  second  is  glory,  and  that 
is  as  much  better  as  the  fruit  is  better  than  the  blossom. 


466  REV.    CHAKLES    H.    SPURGEON. 

You  will  very  often  perceive  in  your  rain-water  cer- 
tain ugly  little  things,  which  swim  and  twist  about  in 
it,  always  trying  if  they  can  to  reach  the  surface,  and 
breathe  through  one  end  of  their  bodies.  What 
makes  these  little  things  so  lively,  these  innumerable 
little  things  like  very  small  tadpoles,  why  are  they  so 
energetic  ?  Possibly  they  have  an  idea  of  what  they 
are  going  to  be.  The  day  will  come  when  all  of  a 
sudden  there  will  emerg-e  from  the  case  of  the  creature 
which  now  naviofates  vour  basin,  a  loncr-leo-Sfed  thinsf 
with  two  briorht  orauze-like  winors,  which  will  mount 
into  the  air,  and  on  a  summer's  evening  will  dance  in 
the  sunlight.  It  is  nothingr  more  or  less  than  a  g-nat 
in  one  of  its  earliest  stages.  Mark  in  that  creature  an 
image  of  your  present  self;  you  are  an  undeveloped 
being  ;  you  have  not  your  wings  as  yet,  and  are  earth- 
bound,  and  yet  sometimes  in  your  activity  for  Christ, 
when  the  strong  desires  for  something  better  are  upon 
you,  you  leap  in  foretaste  of  the  bliss  to  come. 

Julius  Csesar  coming  towards  Rome  with  his  army, 
and  hearing  that  the  senate  and  people  had  fled  from 
it,  said,  "  They  that  will  not  fight  for  this  city,  what 
city  will  they  fight  for  ?  "  If  we  will  not  take  pains 
for  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  what  kingdom  will  we 
take  pains  for? 

At  heaven's  grate  there  stands  an  ang-el  with  chargre 
to  admit  none  but  those  who  in  their  countenances 
bear  the  same  features  as  the  Lord  of  the  place. 
Here  comes  a  monarch  with  a  crown  upon  his  head. 
The  angel  pays  him  no  respect,  but  reminds  him  that 


CHOICE    SELECTIONS.  467 

the  diadems  of  earth  have  no  value  in  heaven.  A 
company  of  eminent  men  advance,  dressed  in  robes 
of  state,  and  others  adorned  with  the  gowns  of  learn- 
ing, but  to  these  no  deference  is  rendered,  for  their 
faces  are  very  unlike  the  Crucified.  A  maiden  comes 
forward,  fair  and  comely,  but  the  celestial  watcher  sees 
not  in  that  sparkling  eye  and  ruddy  cheek  the  beauty 
for  which  he  is  looking.  A /nan  of  renown  cometh  up 
heralded  by  fame,  and  preceded  by  the  admiring 
clamor  of  mankind;  but  the  angel  saith,  "Such  ap- 
plause may  please  the  sons  of  men,  but  thou  hast  no 
right  to  enter  here."  But  free  admittance  is  always 
given  to  those  who  in  holiness  are  made  like  their 
Lord.  Poor  they  may  have  been  ;  illiterate  they  may 
have  been ;  but  the  angel  as  he  looks  at  them  smiles 
a  welcome  as  he  says,  "  It  is  Christ  again  ;  a  transcript 
of  the  holy  child  Jesus.  Come  in,  come  in  ;  eternal 
glory  thou  shalt  win.  Thou  shalt  sit  in  heaven  with 
Christ,  for  thou  art  like  him." 

Heaven— to  be  Shut  Out  of  at  Last. 

Several  years  ago  w^e  heard  an  old  minister  relate 
the  following  incident : —  '  He  had  preached  the  Word 
for  many  a  year  in  a  wood  hard  by  a  beautiful  village 
in  the  Invernesshire  Highlands,  and  it  w^as  his  invari- 
able custom,  on  dismissinof  his  own  conorreo^atlon,  to 
repair  to  the  Baptist  chapel  in  this  village  to  partake 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  with  his  people  assembled  there. 
It  was  then  usual  to  shut  the  gates  during  this  service, 
in  order  that  communicants  might  not  be  exposed  to 
any  disturbance  through  persons  going  out  or  coming 


468  REV.    CHARLES   II.    SPURGEON. 

in.  On  one  occasion  the  burden  of  the  Lord  pressed 
upon  liis  servant  with  more  than  ordinary  severity, 
and  anxious  to  dehver  it  and  clear  his  soul,  he  detained 
his  hearers  a  little  beyond  the  time,  and  consequently 
had  to  hurry  to  the  chapel.  As  he  drew  near  he 
noticed  the  doorkeeper  retire  from  the  outer  gate, 
after  having  shut  it.  He  called  to  him,  quickening  his 
pace  at  the  same  time,  but  ^"^is  cry  was  not  heard,  the 
attendant  retreated  inside  and  the  minister  came  up 
'just  in  time '  to  see  the  door  put  to,  and  hear  it 
fastened  from  within.  He  walked  round  the  chapel 
looking  up  at  the  windows,  but  could  gain  no  admit- 
tance ;  there  was  only  one  door,  and  that  door  was 
shut.  He  listened  and  heard  the  singing,  and  thought 
how  happy  God's  people  were  inside,  while  he  himself 
was  shut  out.  The  circumstance  made  an  impression 
upon  him  at  the  time  which  he  could  never  afterwards 
forget,  and  he  was  led  to  ask  himself  the  question, 
Shall  it  be  so  at  the  last?  Shall  I  come  up  to  the 
gate  of  heaven  only  in  time  to  be  too  late,  to  find  the 
last  ransomed  one  admitted,  and  the  door  everlast- 
ingly shut?  " 

Prospect  of  Heaven. 
One  Palmer,  of  Reading,  being  condemned  to  die, 
in  Queen  Mary's  time,  was  much  persuaded  to  recant, 
and  ?mone  other  things  a  friend  said  to  him,  "Take 
pity  on  thy  golden  years  and  pleasant  flowers  of 
youth,  before  it  be  too  late."  His  reply  was  as  beauti- 
ful as  it  was  conclusive — "  Sir,  I  long  for  those  spring- 
ing flowers  which  shall  never  fade  away."     When  he 


CHOICE    SELECTIONS.  469 

was  in  the  midst  of  the  flames  lie  exhorted  his  com- 
panions to  constancy,  saying,  "We  shall  not  end  our 
lives  in  the  fire,  but  make  a  change  for  a  better  life; 
yea,  for  coals  we  shall  receive  pearls."  Thus  do  we 
clearly  see,  that  although  "  if  in  this  life  only  we  have 
hope  in  Christ,  we  are  of  all  men  most  miserable,"  yet 
the  prospect  of  a  better  and  enduring  substance  en- 
ables us  to  meet  all  the  trials  and  temptations  of  this 
present  life  with  holy  boldness  and  joy. 

We  cannot  stay  to  read  the  catalogue  now,  but 
heavenly  joys  shall  be  like  the  tree  of  life  in  the  New 
Jerusalem,  which  brings  forth  twelve  manner  of  fruits, 
and  yields  her  fruit  every  month.  Robert  Hall  used 
to  cry,  "  O  for  the  everlasting  rest!  "  but  Wilberforce 
would  sio^h  to  dwell  in  unbroken  love.  Hall  was  a 
man  who  suffered — he  longed  for  rest ;  Wilberforce 
was  a  man  of  amiable  spirit,  loving  society  and  fellow- 
ship— he  looked  for  love.  Hall  shall  have  his  rest, 
and  Wilberforce  shall  have  his  love.  There  are  joys 
at  God's  right  hand,  suitable  for  the  spiritual  tastes  of 
all  those  who  shall  come  thither.  The  heavenly 
manna  tastes  to  every  man's  peculiar  liking. 

My  horse  invariably  comes  home  in  less  time  than 
he  makes  the  journey  out.  He  pulls  the  carriage 
with  a  hearty  good  will  when  his  face  is  towards  home. 
Should  not  I  also  both  suffer  and  labor  the  more 
joyously  because  my  way  lies  towards  heaven  and  I 
am  on  pilgrimage  to  my  Father's  house,  my  soul's 
dear  home  and  resting  place  ? 


470  REV.    CHARLES    H.    SrUUGEuN. 

Influence  of  Novelty. 

Yes,  the  people  gathered  in  crowds  around  the 
statue,  and  looked  at  it  again  and  again.  It  was  not 
the  finest  work  of  art  in  the  city,  nor  the  most  intrin- 
sically attractive.  Why,  then,  did  the  citizens  of 
Verona  stand  in  such  clusters  around  the  effigy  of 
Dante  on  that  summer's  evening?  Do  you  guess  the 
reason?  It  was  a  fete  in  honor  of  the  poet?  No, 
you  are  mistaken  ;  it  was  but  an  ordinary  evening, 
and  there  was  nothing  peculiar  in  the  date  or  the 
events  of  the  day.  You  shall  not  be  kept  in  sus- 
pense, the  reason  was  very  simple  :  the  statue  was  new, 
it  had,  in  fact,  only  been  unveiled  the  day  before. 
Every  one  passes  Dante  now,  having  other  things  to 
think  of;  the  citizens  are  well  used  to  his  solemn 
visage,  and  scarcely  care  that  he  stands  among  them. 
Is  not  this  the  way  of  men  ?  I  am  sure  it  is  their  way 
with  us  ministers.  New  brooms  sweep  clean.  What 
crowds  follow  a  new  man  !  how  they  tread  upon  one 
another  to  hear  him,  not  because  he  is  so  very  wise 
or  eloquent,  much  less  because  he  is  eminently  holy, 
but  he  is  a  new  man,  and  curiosity  must  gratify  itself! 
In  a  few  short  months,  the  idol  of  the  hour  is  stale, 
flat,  and  unprofitable;  he  is  a  mediocrity;  there  are 
scores  as  good  as  he ;  indeed,  another  new  man,  at 
the  end  of  the  town,  is  far  better.  Away  go  the 
wonder-hunters  !  Folly  brought  them,  folly  removes 
them  :  babies  must  have  new  toys. 
Obedience. 

"  Sir,"  said  the   Duke  of  Wellington   to  an   officer 


CHOICE    SELECTIONS.  471 

of  eng-Ineers,  who  urged  the  impossibihty  of  execut- 
ing the  directions  he  had  received,  "  I  did  not  ask 
your  opinion,  I  gave  you  my  orders,  and  I  expect  them 
to  be  obeyed,"  Such  should  be  the  obedience  of 
every  follower  of  Jesus.  The  words  which  he  has 
spoken  are  our  law,  not  our  judgments  or  fancies. 
Even  if  death  were  in  the  way  it  is — 

"  Not  ours  to  reason  why — 
Ours  but  to  dare  and  die ; 

and,  at  ouv  Master's  bidding,  advance  through  flood 
or  flame. 

"  I  wish  I  could  mind  God  as  my  little  dog  minds 
me,"  said  a  little  boy,  looking  thoughtfully  on  his 
shaggy  friend;  "he  always  looks  so  pleased  to  mind, 
and  I  don't."  What  a  painful  truth  did  this  child 
speak !  Shall  the  poor  little  dog  thus  readily  obey 
his  master,  and  we  rebel  against  God,  who  is  our 
Creator,  our  Preserver,  our  Father,  our  Saviour  and 
the  bountiful  Giver  of  everything  we  love  ? 

Omniscience. 

A  plate  of  sv/eet  cakes  was  brought  in  and  laid 
upon  the  table.  Two  children  played  upon  the 
hearth-rug  before  the  fire.  "  Oh,  I  want  one  of  those 
cakes  !  "  cried  the  little  boy,  jumping  up  as  soon  as 
his  mother  went  out,  and  going  on  tiptoe  towards  the 
table,  "No,  no,"  said  his  sister,  pulling  him  back; 
■'no,  no;  you  must  not  touch."  "  Mother  won't  know 
it;  she  did  not  count  them,"  he  cried,  shaking  her 
off",  and  stretching   out   his    hand.      "If  she   didn't, 


472  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

perhaps  God  counted,"  answered  the  other.  The 
little  boy's  hand  was  stayed.  Yes,  children,  be  sure 
that  God  counts  ! 

Beauty  in  Nature. 
Linnaeus,  the  great  Swedish  botanist,  observing  the 
beautiful  order  which  reigns  among  flowers,  proposed 
the  use  of  a  floral  clock,  to  be  composed  of  plants 
which  open  and  close  their  blossoms  at  particular 
hours ;  as  for  instance  the  dandelion  which  opens  its 
petals  at  six  in  the  morning,  the  hawkweed  at  seven, 
the  succory  at  eight,  the  celandine  at  nine,  and  so  on; 
the  closinsf  of  the  flowers  being'  marked  with  an 
equal  regularity  so  as  to  indicate  the  progress  of 
the  afternoon  and  the  evening. 

"  Thus  has  each  hour  its  own  rich  hue. 
And  its  graceful  cup  or  bell, 
In  whose  colored  vase  may  sleep  the  dew. 
Like  a  pearl  in  an  ocean  shell." 

Would  it  not  be  a  lovely  thing  if  thus  with  flowers 

of  grace  and  blossoms  of  virtue  we  bedecked  every 

passing  hour;  fulfilling  all  the  duties  of  each  season 

and  honorinor  him  who  maketh  the  out2:oincrs  of  the 

morning  and  the  evening  to  rejoice  !     Thus  with  un- 

deviating  regularity  to  obey  the  influence  of  the  Sun 

of  Righteousness,  and  give  each  following   moment 

its  due,  were  to  begin  the  life  of  heaven  beneath  the 

stars. 

Order  of  Gracious  Operations. 

A  discussion  arose    between  some  members  of  a 

Bible-class,  in  reference  to  the  first  Christian  exercise 


CHOICE    SELECTIONS.  473 

of  the  converted  soul.  One  contended  that  it  was 
penitence  ovso7'row  ;  another  that  it  was^^r,  another 
love,  another  hope,  another  /aitk,  for  how  could  one 

fear  or  repent  without  belief?     Elder  G ,  over- 

hearinor  the  discussion,  relieved  the  minds  of  the  dis- 
putants  with  this  remark : — "  Can  you  tell  which 
spoke  of  the  wheel  moves  first  ?  You  may  be  look- 
ing at  one  spoke,  and  think  that  it  moves  first,  but 
they  all  start  together.  Thus,  when  the  Spirit  of  God 
operates  upon  the  human  heart,  all  the  graces  begin 
to  affect  the  penitent  soul,  though  the  individual  may 
be  more  conscious  of  one  than  another." 

Peace  of  a  Believer. 

The  believer's  peace  is  like  a  river  for  continuance. 
Look  at  it,  rising  as  a  litde  brook  among  the  mosses 
of  the  lone  green  hill ;  by  and  by  it  leaps  as  a  rugged 
cataract;  anon  it  flows  along  that  fair  valley  where 
the  red  deer  wanders,  and  the  child  loves  to  play. 
With  hum  of  pleasant  music  the  brook  turns  the 
village  mill.  Hearken  to  its  changeful  tune  as  it 
ripples  over  its  pebbly  bed,  or  leaps  adown  the  wheel, 
or  sports  in  eddies  where  the  trees  bend  down  their 
branches  to  kiss  the  current.  Anon  the  streamlet  has 
become  a  river,  and  bears  upon  its  flood  full  many  a 
craft.  Then  its  bosom  swells,  bridges  with  noble 
arches  span  it,  and,  grown  vaster  still,  it  becomes  an 
estuary,  broad  enough  to  be  an  arm  of  old  Father 
Ocean,  pouring  its  water-floods  into  the  mighty  main. 

The  river  abides  the  lapse  of  ages,  it  is  no  evanes- 


474  REV.    CUARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

cent  morning  cloud,  or  transient  rain-flood,  but  In  all 
its  stages  it  is  permanent. 

"  Men  may  come,  and  men  may  go, 
But  I  flow  on  for  ever." 

Evermore,  throughout  all  generations,  the  river 
speedeth  to  its  destined  place.  Such  is  the  peace  of 
the  Christian.  He  has  always  reason  for  comfort. 
He  has  not  a  consolation  like  a  swollen  torrent  which 
is  dried  up  under  the  hot  sun  of  adversity,  but  peace 
is  his  rightful  possession  at  all  times.  Do  you  inquire' 
for  the  Thames  ?  You  shall  find  it  flowing  in  its  own 
bed  in  the  thick  black  night,  as  well  as  in  the  clear 
bright  day.  You  shall  discover  the  noble  river  when 
it  mirrors  the  stars  or  sends  back  the  sheen  of  the 
moon,  as  well  as  when  multitudes  of  eyes  gaze  upon 
the  pompous  pageantry  of  civic  procession  at  mid- 
day. You  may  see  its  waves  in  the  hour  of  tempest 
by  the  lightning's  flash,  as  well  as  In  the  day  of  calm 
when  the  sun  shineth  brightly  on  them.  Ever  is  the 
river  in  its  place.  And  even  thus,  come  night,  come 
day,  come  sickness,  come  health,  come  what  will,  the 
peace  of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding  will 
keep  the  Christian's  heart  and  mind,  through  Jesus 
Christ. 

Nor  must  we  exclude  the  idea  of  progress.  You 
can  leap  the  Thames  at  Cricklade,  for  the  tiny  brook 
is  spanned  by  a  narrow  plank  across  which  laughing 
village  girls  are  tripping  ;  but  who  thinks  of  laying 
down  a  plank  at  Southend,  or  at  Grays?     No,  the 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 


475 


river  has  grown — how  deep  !  At  the  mouth  of  it, 
comparable  to  the  sea— how  broad!  There  go  the 
ships,  and  even  leviathan  might  play  therein. 

Such  is  the  Christian's  peace.     At  the  first,  little 
temptations  avail   to  mar  it,  and  the   troubles  of  life 
threaten  to  evaporate  it.     Be  not  dismayed,  but  quiedy 
wait.     When  the  Christian  is  somewhat  grown,  and 
has  wandered  for  awhile  along  the  tortuous  course  of 
a  gracious  experience,  his  peace  will  gather  force  like 
a  flowing  stream.     Wait  twenty  or  thirty  years,  till  he 
has  traversed  yonder  rich  lowlands  of  fellowship  with 
Christ  in  his  sufferings,  and  conformity  to  his  death, 
and  you  shall  mark  that  the  believer's  rest  will  be  like 
a  river  deep  and  broad,  for  he  shall  know  the  peace 
which  was  our  Master's  precious  legacy  ;  and  he  will 
cast  all  his  care  upon  God,  who  careth  for  him.     True 
peace  will   increase  till  it  melts  into  the  eternal  rest 
of  the  beatific  vision,  where 

"  Not  a  wave  of  trouble  rolls 
Across  the  peaceful  breast." 

False  Peace. 

Your  peace,  sinner,  is  that  terribly  prophetic  calm 
which  the  traveller  occasionally  perceives  upon  the 
higher  Alps.  Everything  is  still.  The  birds  suspend 
their  notes,  fly  low,  and  cower  down  with  fear.  The 
hum  of  bees  among  the  flowers  is  hushed.  A  horrible 
stillness  rules  the  hour,  as  if  death  had  silenced  all 
thino-s  by  stretching  over  them  his  awful  sceptre. 
Perceive  ye  not  what  is  surely  at  hand  ?     The  tempest 


476  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

is  preparing ;  the  lightning  will  soon  cast  abroad  its 
flames  of  fire.  Earth  will  rock  with  thunder-blasts; 
granite  peaks  will  be  dissolved  ;  all  nature  will  trem- 
ble beneath  the  fury  of  the  storm.  Yours  is  that 
solemn  calm  to-day,  sinner.  Rejoice  not  in  it,  for  the 
hurricane  of  wrath  is  coming,  the  whirlwind  and  the 
tribulation  which  shall  sweep   you   away  and  utterly 

destroy  you. 

Rejoicing-  in  Abasement. 

When  Latimer  resigned  his  bishopric,  Foxe  tells 
us  that  as  he  put  off  his  rochet  from  his  shoulders  he 
gave  a  skip  on  the  floor  for  joy,  "  feeling  his  shoulders 
so  liofht  at  beinof  dischargred  of  such  a  burden."  To 
be  relieved  of  our  wealth  or  high  position  is  to  be 
unloaded  of  weighty  responsibilities,  and  should  not 
cause  us  to  fret,  but  rather  to  rejoice  as  those  who  are 
lio^htened  of  a  gfreat  load.  If  we  cease  from  office  in 
the  church,  or  from  public  honors,  or  from  power  of 
any  sort,  we  may  be  consoled  by  the  thought  that  there 
is  just  so  much  the  less  for  us  to  answer  for  at  the 
great  audit,  when  we  must  give  an  account  of  our 
stewardship. 

Absence  from  Week-night  Services. 

"  Prayer-meeting  and  lecture  as  usual  on  Wednes- 
day  evening,  in  the  lecture-room.  Dear  brethren,  I 
urge  you  all  to  attend  the  weekly  meetings.  '  For- 
sake not  the  assembling  of  yourselves  together.' " 
Some  of  the  "  dear  brethren  "  deported  themselves  in 
this  way  :  Brother  A.  thought  it  looked  like  rain,  and 
concluded  that  his  family,  including  himself  of  course, 


REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON.  47'/ 

had  better  remain  at  home.  On  Thursday  evenin;^  it 
was  raining  very  hard,  and  the  same  brother  hired  a 
carriage,  and  took  his  whole  family  to  the  Academy  of 
Music,  to  hear  M.  Agassiz  lecture  on  the  "  Intelligence 
of  the  Lobster." 

Brother  B.  thought  he  was  too  tired  to  go,  so  he 
stayed  at  home  and  worked  at  the  sledge  he  had 
promised  to  make  for  Billy.  Sister  C.  thought  the 
pavements  were  too  slippery.  It  would  be  very  dan- 
gerous for  her  to  venture  out.  I  saw  her  next 
morninof,  s:oinof  down  street  to  o^et  her  old  bonnet 
"  done  up."  She  had  an  old  pair  of  stockings  drawn 
over  her  shoes.  Three-fourths  of  the  members  stayed 
at  home.  God  was  at  the  prayer-meeting.  The  pas- 
tor was  there,  and  God  blessed  them.  The  persons 
who  stayed  at  home  were  each  represented  by  a  vacant 
seat.     God  don't  bless  empty  seats. 

Access  to  the  Lord's  Treasury. 

There  are  many  locks  in  my  house  and  all  with 
different  keys,  but  I  have  one  master-key  which  opens 
all.  So  the  Lord  has  many  treasuries  and  secrets  all 
shut  up  from  carnal  minds  with  locks  which  they  can- 
not open  ;  but  he  who  walks  in  fellowship  with  Jesus 
possesses  the  master-key  which  will  admit  him  to  all 
the  blessings  of  the  covenant ;  yea,  to  the  very  heart 
of  God.  Through  the  Wellbeloved  we  have  access 
to  God,  to  heaven,  to  every  secret  of  the  Lord. 

Activity  a  Help  to  Courage. 

Courage  maintains  itself  by  its  ardent  action,  as 
some  birds   rest  on  the  wing.     There  is  an  energy 


478  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

about  agility  that  will  often  give  a  man  a  fortitude 
which  otherwise  he  might  not  have  possessed.  We 
can  picture  the  gallant  regiment  at  Balaclava  riding 
into  the  valley  of  death  at  a  dashing  gallop,  but  we 
could  scarcely  imagine  their  marching  slowly  up  to 
the  guns,  coolly  calculating  all  the  deadly  odds  of  the 
adventure. 

There  is  much  in  our  obeying  as  our  Lord  did, 
"  straightway."  When  the  Lord  gives  his  servants 
grace  to  follow  out  their  convictions  as  soon  as  they 
feel  them,  then  they  act  courageously.  First  thoughts 
are  best  in  the  service  of  God,  they  are  like  Gideon's 
men  that  lapped.  Second  thoughts  come  up  timor- 
ously  and  limpingly,  and  incite  us  to  make  provision 
for  the  flesh,  they  are  like  those  men  whom  Gideon 
discarded  because  they  went  down  on  their  knees  to 
drink,  they  took  things  too  leisurely  to  be  fit  for  the 
Lord's  battles. 

Affliction  Attendant  upon  Honor. 

In  ancient  times  a  box  on  the  ear  given  by  a  master 
to  a  slave  meant  liberty  ;  little  would  the  freedman  care 
how  hard  was  the  blow.  By  a  stroke  from  the  sword 
the  warrior  was  knighted  by  his  monarch ;  small 
matter  was  it  to  the  new-made  knight  if  the  royal 
hand  was  heavy.  When  the  Lord  intends  to  lift  his 
servants  into  a  higher  stage  of  spiritual  life,  he  fre- 
quently sends  them  a  severe  trial ;  he  makes  his 
Jacobs  to  be  prevailing  princes,  but  he  confers  the 
honor  after  a  night  of  wrestling,  and  accompanies  it 
with   a    shrunken   sinew.     Be  it  so,    who  among  us 


KEY.    CHARLES    H.    SPURGEON. 


479 


would  wish  to  be  deprived  of  the  trials  if  they  are  the 
necessary  attendants  of  spiritual  advancement? 
Affliction  Awakening-  Gratitude. 

Afflictions  when  sanctified  make  us  grateful  for 
mercies  which  aforetime  we  treated  with  indifference. 
We  sat  for  half-an-hour  in  a  calf's  shed  the  other  day, 
quite  grateful  for  the  shelter  from  the  driving  rain,  yet 
at  no  other  time  would  we  have  entered  such  a  hovel. 
Discontented  persons  need  a  course  of  the  bread  of 
adversity  and  the  water  of  affliction,  to  cure  them  of 
the  wretched  habit  of  murmuring.  Even  things  which 
we  loathed  before  we  shall  learn  to  prize  when  in 
troublous  circumstances. 

We  are  no  lovers  of  lizards,  and  yet  at  Pont  St. 
Martin,  in  the  Val  D'Aosta,  where  the  mosquitoes, 
flies,  and  insects  of  all  sorts  drove  us  nearly  to  dis- 
traction, we  prized  the  little  green  fellows,  and  felt 
quite  an  attachment  to  them  as  they  darted  out  their 
tongues  and  devoured  our  worrying  enemies.  Svveet 
are  the  uses  of  adversity,  and  this  among  them — that 
it  brings  into  proper  estimation  mercies  aforetime 
lightly  esteemed. 

Affliction  Endears  the  Promises. 

We  never  prize  the  precious  words  of  promise  till 
we  are  placed  in  conditions  in  which  their  suitability 
and  sweetness  are  manifested.  We  all  of  us  value 
those  orolden  words,  "  When  thou  walkest  througrh  the 
fire  thou  shalt  not  be  burned,  neither  shall  the  flame 
kindle  upon  thee,"  but  few  if  any  of  us  have  read  them 
with  the  delight  of  the  martyr  Bilney,  to  whom  this 


480  CHOICE    SELECTIONS. 

passage  was  a  stay,  while  he  was  in  prison  awaiting  his 
execution  at  the  stake.  His  Bible,  still  preserved  in 
the  library  of  Corpus  Christi  College,  Cambridge,  has 
the  passage  marked  with  a  pen  in  the  margin.  Per- 
haps, if  all  were  known,  every  promise  in  the  Bible 
has  borne  a  special  message  to  some  one  saint,  and 
so  the  whole  volume  mig^ht  be  scored  in  the  marofin 
with  mementos  of  Christian  experience,  every  one 
appropriate  to  the  very  letter. 

Effects  of  Aflaiction  in  Different  People. 

How  different  are  summer  storms  from  winter  ones  I 
In  winter  they  rush  over  the  earth  with  their  violence  ; 
and  if  any  poor  remnants  of  foliage  or  flowers  have 
lingered  behind,  these  are  swept  along  at  one  gust. 
Nothing  is  left  but  desolation  ;  and  long  after  the  rain 
has  ceased,  pools  of  water  and  mud  bear  tokens  of 
what  has  been.  But  when  the  clouds  have  poured  out 
their  torrents  in  summer,  when  the  winds  have  spent 
their  fury,  and  the  sun  breaks  forth  again  in  glory,  all 
things  seem  to  rise  with  renewed  loveliness  from  their 
refreshing  bath.  The  flowers,  glistening  with  rain- 
bows, smell  sweeter  than  before ;  the  grass  seems  to 
have  gained  another  brighter  shade  of  green  ;  and 
the  young  plants  which  had  hardly  come  into  sight, 
have  taken  their  place  among  their  fellows  in  the 
border,  so  quickly  have  they  sprung  among  the 
showers.  The  air,  too,  which  may  previously  have 
been  oppressive,  is  become  clear,  and  soft,  and  fresh. 

Such,  too,  is  the  difference  when  the  storms  of  afllic- 
tion  fall  on  hearts  unrenewed  by  Christian  faith,  and 


REV.   CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON.  481 

on  those  who  abide  in  Christ.  In  the  former  they 
bring  out  the  dreariness  and  desolation  which  may 
before  have  been  unapparent.  The  gloom  is  not 
relieved  by  the  prospect  of  any  cheering  ray  to  follow 
it;  of  any  flowers  or  fruits  to  show  its  beneficence. 
But  in  the  true  Christian  soul,  "  though  weeping  may 
endure  for  a  night,  joy  cometh  in  the  morning."  A 
sweet  smile  of  hope  and  love  follows  every  tear ;  and 
tribulation  itself  is  turned  into  the  chief  of  blessings. 

Affliction  an  Incentive  to  Zeal. 

There  is  an  old  story  in  the  Greek  annals  of  a 
soldier  under  Antigonus  who  had  a  disease  about  him, 
an  extremely  painful  one,  likely  to  bring  him  soon  to 
the  grave.  Always  first  in  the  charge  was  this  sol- 
dier, rushing  into  the  hottest  part  of  the  fray,  as  the 
bravest  of  the  brave.  His  pain  prompted  him  to  fight, 
that  he  might  forget  it ;  and  he  feared  not  death,  be- 
cause he  knew  that  in  any  cas-e  he  had  not  long  to 
live.  Antigonus,  who  greatly  admired  the  valor  of 
his  soldier,  discovering  his  malady,  had  him  cured  by 
one  of  the  most  eminent  physicians  of  the  day;  but, 
alas !  from  that  moment  the  warrior  was  absent  from 
the  front  of  the  battle.  He  now  sought  his  ease  ;  for, 
as  he  remarked  to  his  companions,  he  had  something 
worth  living  for — health,  home,  family,  and  other  com- 
forts, and  he  would  not  risk  his  life  now  as  aforetime. 

So,  when  our  troubles  are  many,  we  are  often  by 
grace  made  courageous  in  serving  our  God;  we  feel 
that  we  have  nothing  to  live  for  in  this  world,  and  we 
are  driven,  by  hope  of  the  world  to  come,  to  exhibit 

31 


482  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

zeal,  self-denial,  and  industry.  But  how  often  is  it 
otherwise  in  better  times  !  for  then  the  joys  and  pleas- 
ures of  this  world  make  it  hard  for  us  to  remember 
the  world  to  come,  and  we  sink  into  inglorious  ease. 

Aflaiction  Increased  Avitli  Our  Strength. 

"  I  had,"  said  Latimer,  describing  the  way  in  which 
his  father  trained  him  as  a  yeoman's  son,  "  my  bows 
bought  me  according  to  my  age  and  strength ;  as  I 
increased  in  them  so  my  bows  were  made  bigger  and 
bigger."  Thus  boys  grew  into  cross-bowmen,  and  by 
a  similar  increase  in  the  force  of  their  trials,  Christians 
become  veterans  in  the  Lord's  host.  The  affliction 
which  is  suitable  for  a  babe  in  grace  would  Httle  serve 
the  young  man,  and  even  the  well-developed  man 
needs  severer  trials  as  his  strenorth  increases. 

God,  like  a  wise  father,  trains  us  wisely,  and  as  we 
are  able  to  bear  it,  he  makes  our  service  and  our  suf- 
fering more  arduous.  As  boys  rejoice  to  be  treated 
like  men,  so  will  we  rejoice  in  our  greater  tribulations, 
for  here  is  man's  work  for  us,  and  by  God's  help  we 
will  not  flinch  from  doine  it. 

Ambition  Never  Satisfied. 

Ambition  is  like  the  sea,  which  swallows  all  the  riv- 
ers and  is  none  the  fuller ;  or  like  the  grave,  whose 
insatiable  maw  forever  craves  for  the  bodies  of  men. 
It  is  not  like  an  amphora,  which  being  full  receives  no 
more,  but  its  fulness  swells  it  till  a  still  greater  vacuum 
is  formed.  In  all  probability.  Napoleon  never  longed 
for  a  sceptre  till  he  had  gained  the  baton,  nor  dreamed 
of  being  emperor  of  Europe  till   he  had  gained  the 


REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON.  483 

crown  of  France.  Caligula,  with  the  world  at  his  feet, 
was  mad  with  a  longing  for  the  moon,  and  could  he 
bave  gained  it,  the  imperial  lunatic  would  have  coveted 
the  sun. 

It  is  in  vain  to  feed  a  fire  which  grows  the  more  vo- 
racious the  more  it  is  supplied  with  fuel ;  he  who  lives 
to  satisfy  his  ambition  has  before  him  the  labor  of 
Sisyphus,  who  rolled  up  hill  an  ever-rebounding  stone, 
and  the  task  of  the  daughters  of  Danaus,  who  are 
condemned  forever  to  attempt  to  fill  a  bottomless  ves- 
sel with  buckets  full  of  holes.  Could  we  know  the 
secret  heart-breaks  and  weariness  of  ambitious  men, 
we  should  need  no  Wolsey's  voice  crying,  "  I  diarge 
thee,  fling  away  ambition,"  but  we  should  flee  from  it 
as  from  the  most  accursed  blood-sucking  vampire 
which  ever  uprose  from  the  caverns  of  hell. 

The  Black  Curtain. 

In  the  long  line  of  portraits  of  the  Doges,  in  the 
palace  at  Venice,  one  space  is  empty,  and  the  sem- 
blance of  a  black  curtain  remains  as  a  melancholy 
record  of  glory  forfeited.  Found  guilty  of  treason 
against  the  state,  Marino  Falieri  was  beheaded,  and 
his  image  as  far  as  possible  blotted  from  remem- 
brance. 

As  we  regarded  the  singular  memorial  we  thought 
of  Judas  and  Demas,  and  then,  as  we  heard  in  spirit 
the  Master's  warning  word,  "  One  of  you  shall  betray 
me,"  we  asked  within  our  soul  the  solemn  question, 
*'  Lord,  Is  it  I  ?  "  Every  one's  eye  rests  longer  upon 
the  one  dark  vacancy  than  upon  any  one  of  the  many 


484  CHOICE   SELECTIONS. 

fine  portraits  of  the  merchant  monarchs ;  and  so  the 
apostates  of  the  church  are  far  more  frequently  the 
theme  of  the  world's  talk  than  the  thousands  of  good 
men  and  true  who  adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  our 
Savio-ur  in  all  things.  Hence  the  more  need  of  care 
on  the  part  of  those  of  us  whose  portraits  are  publicly 
exhibited  as  saints,  lest  we  should  one  day  be  painted 
out  of  the  church's  gallery,  and  our  persons  only  re- 
membered as  having  been  detestable  hypocrites. 

We  Must  l^ot  Judg^e  by  Appearance. 

Whatever  truth  there  may  be  in  phrenology,  or  in 
Lavater's  kindred  science  of  physiognomy,  we  shall 
do  well  scrupulously  to  avoid  forming  an  opinion 
against  a  man  from  his  personal  appearance.  If  we 
so  judge  we  shall  often  commit  the  greatest  injustice, 
which  may,  if  we  should  ever  live  to  be  disfigured  by 
sickness  or  marred  by  age,  be  returned  into  our  own 
bosom  to  our  bitter  sorrow. 

Plato  compared  Socrates  to  the  gallipots  of  the 
Athenian  apothecaries,  on  the  outside  of  which  were 
painted  grotesque  figures  of  apes  and  owls,  but  they 
contained  within  precious  balsams.  All  the  beauty 
of  a  Cleopatra  cannot  save  her  name  from  being  infa- 
mous ;  personal  attractions  have  adorned  some  of  the 
grossest  monsters  that  ever  cursed  humanity.  Judge 
then  no  man  nor  woman  after  their  outward  fashion, 
but  with  purified  eye  behold  the  hidden  beauty  of  the 
heart  and  life. 


BEV.  CHAKLES  H.  SPURGEON.  485 

Exagg-eration . 

In  certain  ancient  Italian  frescoes  Mary  Magda- 
lene is  drawn  as  a  woman  completely  enveloped  in 
her  own  hair,  which  reaches  to  her  feet  and  entirely 
wraps  up  her  body  as  in  a  seamless  garment.  These 
queer  draughtsmen  must  needs  exaggerate;  granted 
that  the  woman  had  long  hair,  they  must  enfold  her 
in  it  like  a  silkworm  in  its  own  silk.  The  practice 
survives  among  the  tribe  of  talkers,  everything  with 
them  is  on  the  enlarged  scale  ;  a  man  with  ordinary 
abilities  is  a  prodigy,  another  with  very  pardonable 
faults  is  a  monster,  a  third  with  a  few  failings  is  a  dis- 
grace to  humanity.  Truth  is  as  comely  and  beautiful 
as  a  woman  with  flowing  hair,  but  exaggeration  Is  as 
grotesque  and  ugly  as  the  Magdalene,  all  hair  from 
head  to  foot. 

Excuses. 

Bishop  W ,  we  are  told,  was  one  day  rebuking 

one  of  his  clergy  for  fox-hunting.  "  My  lord,"  was 
the  clergyman's  answer,  "  every  man  must  have  some 
relaxation.  I  assure  you  I  never  go  to  balls."  "Oh," 
said  the  bishop,  "I  perceive  you   allude  to  my  having 

been  to  the  Duchess  of  S ^'s  party;  but  I  give  you 

my  word  that  I  was  never  in  the  same  room  with  the 
dancers!"  "My  lord,"  responded  the  clergyman, 
"  my  horse  and  I  are  getting  old,  and  we  are  never  in 
the  same  fields  with  the  hounds^  Thus  each  had  satis- 
fied his  conscience,  because  of  some  point  beyond 
which  he  had  not  gone.  What  he  had  done  was  to  be 
overlooked  on  account  of  what  he  had  not  done.     The 


486  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

habit  of  making  precisely  similar  excuses  is  all  but 
universal ;  though  we  see  the  absurdity  of  it  in  others 
we  continue  to  practice  it  ourselves. 

Deptli  of  Experience. 

In  my  house  there  is  a  well  of  extraordinary  depth, 
which  reminds  me  of  something  better  than  the 
boasted  deep  experience  of  certain  censorious  profes- 
sors, who  teach  that  to  feel  sin  within  is  the  main 
thing,  but  to  be  delivered  from  it  of  small  consequence. 
When  this  well  was  commenced,  the  owner  of  the 
place  resolved  to  have  water,  cost  what  it  might.  The 
well-sinkers  dug  through  mud,  and  clay,  and  stone, 
but  found  no  water;  here  was  the  deep  experience  of 
the  corruptionist,  all  earth  and  no  living  spring,  the 
filth  revealed  but  not  removed,  the  leper  discovered 
but  not  healed.  Another  hundred  feet  of  hard  dig- 
ging deep  in  the  dark,  but  no  water — still  deeper 
experience. 

Then  a  third  hundred  ieet,  and  still  dirt,  but  no  crys- 
tal— the  very  finest  grade  of  your  deeply  experimental 
professor,  who  ridicules  the  joys  of  faith  as  being  of 
the  flesh  and  presumptuous.  Still  on,  on,  on  went  the 
workers,  till  one  day  leaving  their  tools  to  go  to  din- 
ner, upon  their  return  they  found  that  the  water  was 
rising  fast,  and  their  tools  were  drowned. 

Be  this  last  my  experience — to  go  so  deep  as  to 
reach  the  springs  of  everlasting  love,  and  find  all  my 
poor  doings  and  efforts  totally  submerged,  because  the 
blessed  fountains  of  grace  have  broken  in  upon  me, 
covering  all  the  mire,  and  rock,  and  earth  of  my  poor, 
naturally  evil  heart. 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  487 

Experience  Necessary  to  a  Minister. 

Biichsell  says:  "Orthodoxy  can  be  learnt  from 
others ;  living  faith  must  be  a  matter  of  personal  ex- 
perience. The  Lord  sent  out  his  disciples,  saying,  *Ye 
shall  testify  of  me  because  ye  have  been  with  me  from 
the  beginning.'  He  only  is  a  witness  who  speaks  of 
what  he  has  seen  with  his  own  eyes,  heard  with  his 
own  ears,  and  handled  with  his  own  hands.  Ortho- 
doxy is  merely  another  form  of  rationalism,  if  it  be 
learnt  from  without." 

Variety  of  Experience. 

Ruskin,  that  most  accurate  observer,  says  :  "  Break 
off  an  elm-bough  three  feet  long,  in  full  leaf,  and  lay 
it  on  the  table  before  you,  and  try  to  draw  it,  leaf  for 
leaf.  It  is  ten  to  one  if  in  the  whole  bough  (provided 
you  do  not  twist  it  about  as  you  work)  you  find  one 
form  of  a  leaf  exactly  like  another ;  perhaps  you  will 
not  even  have  one  complete.  Every  leaf  will  be  ob- 
lique, or  foreshortened,  or  curled,  or  crossed  by  an- 
other, or  shaded  by  another,  or  have  something  or 
other  the  matter  with  it ;  and  though  the  whole  bough 
will  look  graceful  and  symmetrical,  you  will  scarcely 
be  able  to  tell  how  or  why  it  does  so,  since  there  is 
not  one  line  of  it  Hke  another." 

If  such  infinite  variety  prevails  in  creation,  we  may 
reasonably  expect  to  find  the  same  in  the  experience 
of  the  saints.  Uniformity  is  no  rule  of  spiritual  life. 
Let  us  not  judge  others  because  their  feelings  have 
not  been  precisely  similar  to  ours.  All  the  saints  are 
led  in  a  right  way,  but  no  two  of  them  precisely  in  the 


488  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

same  way.  Far  be  it  from  us  to  set  up  a  standard 
and  expect  all  to  be  conformed  to  it;  if  we  reject  all 
believers  who  labor  under  infirmities,  or  are  marred 
with  faults,  our  fellowship  will  be  scant  indeed. 

Faith  Holds  the  Rope. 

The  stupendous  Falls  of  Niagara  have  been  spoken 
of  in  every  part  of  the  world ;  but  while  they  are 
marvellous  to  hear  of,  and  wonderful  as  a  spectacle, 
they  have  been  very  destructive  to  human  life,  when 
by  accident  any  have  been  carried  down  the  cataract. 
Some  years  ago,  two  men,  a  bargeman  and  a  collier, 
were  in  a  boat  and  found  themselves  unable  to  man- 
age it,  it  being  carried  so  swiftly  down  the  current 
that  they  must  both  inevitably  be  borne  down  and 
dashed  to  pieces.  At  last,  however,  one  man  was 
saved  by  floating  a  rope  to  him,  which  he  grasped. 
The  same  instant  that  the  rope  came  into  his  hand, 
a  log  floated  by  the  other  man.  The  thoughtless 
and  confused  bargeman,  instead  of  seizing  the  rope, 
laid  hold  on  the  log.  It  was  a  fatal  mistake,  they 
were  both  in  imminent  peril,  but  the  one  was  drawn 
to  shore  because  he  had  a  connection  with  the  people 
on  the  land,  whilst  the  other,  clinging  to  the  loose, 
floating  log,  was  borne  irresistibly  along,  and  never 
heard  of  afterwards. 

Faith  has  a  saving  connection  with  Christ.  Christ 
is  on  the  shore,  so  to  speak,  holding  the  rope, 
and  as  we  lay  hold  of  it  with  the  hand  of  our  confi- 
dence, he  pulls  us  to  shore  ;  but  our  good  works  hav- 
ing no  connection  with  Christ  are  drifted  along  down 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  489 

to  the  gulf  of  despair.  Grapple  our  virtues  as  tightly 
as  we  may,  even  with  hooks  of  steel,  they  cannot 
avail  us  in  the  least  degree ;  they  are  the  discon- 
nected log  which  has    no   holdfast   on    the  heavenly 

shore. 

Worthless  Habits  of  Formality. 

That  honored  servant  of  Christ,  Richard  Knill, 
notes  in  his  journal  the  following  amusing  incident  of 
the  force  of  habit,  as  exemplified  in  his  horse:  "Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Loveless  would  have  me  live  with  them,  but 
they  charged  me  very  little  for  my  board,  whereby  I 
was  enabled,  with  my  salary,  to  support  seven  native 
schools.  These  were  so  situated  that  I  could  visit  them 
all  in  ofie  day.  My  horse  and  gig  were  seen  constantly 
on  the  rounds  ;  and  my  horse  at  last  knew  where  to 
stop  as  well  as  I  did.  This  nearly  cost  a  Bengal  offi- 
cer his  life. 

"  Captain  Page,  a  godly  man,  who  was  staying  with 
us  until  a  ship  was  ready  to  take  him  to  the  Cape,  one 
morning  requested  me  to  lend  him  my  horse  and  gig 
to  take  him  to  the  city.  The  captain  was  driving  of- 
ficer-like, when  the  horse  stopped  suddenly,  and  nearly 
threw  him  out.  He  inquired  *  What  place  is  this  ?  ' 
The  answer  was,  '  It's  the  Sailors'  Hospital.'  They 
started  again,  and  soon  the  horse  stopped  suddenly, 
and  the  captain  was  nearly  out  as  before.  'What's 
this?*  'A  school,  sir,'  was  the  reply.  At  last  he 
finished  his  business  and  resolved  to  return  another 
way.  By  doing  this  he  came  near  my  schools,  and 
again  and  again  the  horse  stopped.      When  he  got 


490  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

home,  he  said,  '  I  am  glad  that  I  have  returned  without 
broken  bones,  but  never  will  I  drive  a  religious  horse 
agam. 

Persons  who  go  to  places  of  religious  worship  from 
mere  habit  and  without  entering  into  the  devotions  of 
the  service,  may  here  see  that  their  religion  is  only 
such  as  a  horse  may  possess,  and  a  horse's  religion 
will  never  save  a  man. 

Friendship  of  the  World. 

The  vanity  of  all  friendship  which  is  not  founded  in 
true  principle,  was  never  more  plainly  expressed  than 
in  an  honest  but  heartless  sent©-nce  of  one  of  Horace 
Walpole's  letters  :  "  If  one  of  my  friends  happens  to 
die,  I  drive  down  to  St.  James's  Coffee-house,  and 
bring  home  a  new  one."  The  name  of  "  friend "  is 
desecrated  in  a  worldling's  mouth — bttt  the^'e  is  a 
friend. 

Experience  Teaching-  the  Value  of  Grace. 

In  the  olden  time  when  the  government  of  England 
had  resolved  to  build  a  wooden  bridge  over  the  Thames 
at  Westminster,  after  they  had  driven  a  hundred  and 
forty  piles  into  the  river,  there  occurred  one  of  the 
most  severe  frosts  in  the  memory  of  man,  by  means 
of  which  the  piles  were  torn  away  from  their  strong 
fastenings,  and  many  of  them  snapped  in  two.  The 
apparent  evil  in  this  case  was  a  great  good ;  it  led  the 
commissioners  to  reconsider  their  purpose,  and  a  sub- 
stantial bridge  of  stone  was  erected. 

How  well  it  is  when  the  fleshly  reformations  of  un- 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  491 

regenerate  men  are  broken  to  pieces,  if  thus  they  are 
led  to  fly  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  in  the  strength  of  His 
Spirit  are  brought  to  build  solidly  for  eternity.  Lord, 
if  Thou  sufferest  my  resolves  and  hopes  to  be  carried 
away  by  temptations  and  the  force  of  my  corruptions, 
grant  that  this  blessed  calamity  may  drive  me  to  de- 
pend wholly  on  Thy  grace,  which  cannot  fail  me. 

Frivolities  Render  Men  Callous. 

"When  Bonaparte  put  the  Duke  d'Enghien  to  death, 
all  Paris  felt  so  much  horror  at  the  event  that  the 
thpone  of  the  tyrant  trembled  under  him.  A  counter- 
revolution was  expected,  and  would  most  probably  have 
taken  place,  had  not  Bonaparte  ordered  a  new  ballet  to 
be  brought  out,  with  the  utmost  splendor,  at  the  Opera. 
The  subject  he  pitched  on  was  '  Ossiait,  or  the  Bards' 
It  is  still  recollected  in  Paris  as  perhaps  the  grandest 
spectacle  that  had  ever  been  exhibited  there.  The  con- 
sequence was  that  the  murder  of  the  Duke  d'Enghien 
was  totally  forgotten,  a^id  nothing  but  the  new  ballet 
was  talked  of" 

After  this  fashion  Satan  takes  off  men's  thoughts 
from  their  sins,  and  drowns  the  din  of  their  consciences. 
Lest  they  should  rise  in  revolt  against  him,  he  gives 
them  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  and  the  vanities  of  pride, 
the  cares  of  this  world,  or  the  merriment  of  fools,  to 
lead  away  their  thoughts.  Poor  silly  men  are  ready 
enough  for  these  misleading  gayeties,  and  for  the  sake 
of  them  the  solemnities  of  death  and  eternity  are 
forgotten. 


492  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

Generous  Feeling  Towards  Brethren. 

"One  incident  gives  high  proof  of  the  native  gener- 
osity of  Turner's  nature.  He  was  one  of  the  hanging 
committee,  as  the  phrase  goes,  of  the  Royal  Academy. 
The  walls  were  full  when  Turner's  attention  was  at- 
tracted by  a  picture  sent  in  by  an  unknown  provincial 
artist  by  the  name  of  Bird.  'A  good  picture,'  he  ex- 
claimed. 'It  must  be  hung  up  and  exhibited,'  'Im- 
possible ! '  responded  the  committee  of  academicians. 
'The  arrangement  cannot  be  disturbed.  Quite  impos- 
sible !'  '  A  good  picture,'  iterated  Turner,  '  it  must  be 
hung  up  ;'  and,  finding  his  colleagues  to  be  as  ob-" 
stinate  as  himself,  he  hitched  down  one  of  his  own 
pictures,  and  hung  up  Bird's  in  its  place." 

Would  to  God  that  in  far  more  instances  the  like 
spirit  ruled  among  servants  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  The 
desire  to  honor  others  and  to  give  others  a  fair  oppor- 
tunity to  rise  should  lead  ministers  of  distinction  to 
give  place  to  less  eminent  men  to  whom  it  may  be  of 
essential  service  to  become  better  known.  We  are 
not  to  look  every  man  on  his  own  things,  but  every 
man  also  on  the  things  of  others. 

o 

Giving-. 

A  woman  who  was  known  to  be  very  poor  came  to 
a  missionary  meeting  in  Wakefield,  and  offered  to  sub- 
scribe a  penny  a  week  to  the  mission  fund.  "  Surely," 
said  one,  "you  are  too  poor  to  afford  this?"  She  re- 
plied, "  I  spin  so  many  hanks  of  yarn  a  week  for  my 
living,  and  /'//  spin  one  hank  more^  and  that  will  be  a 
penny  a  week  for  the  society." 


KEV.  CHAELES  H.  SPUEGEON.  493 

God  Acting-  as  a  Father. 

A  king  is  sitting  with  his  council  deliberating  on 
high  affairs  of  state  involving  the  destiny  of  nations, 
when  suddenly  he  hears  the  sorrowful  cry  of  his  little 
child  who  had  fallen  down,  or  been  frightened  by  a 
wasp ;  he  rises  and  runs  to  his  relief,  assuages  his 
sorrows  and  relieves  his  fears.  Is  there  anything  un- 
kingly  here?  Is  it  not  most  natural?  Does  it  not  even 
elevate  the  monarch  in  your  esteem?  Why  then  do 
we  think  it  dishonorable  to  the  King  of  kings,  our 
heavenly  Father,  to  consider  the  small  matters  of  his 
children  ?  It  is  infinitely  condescending,  but  is  it  not 
also  superlatively  natural  that  being  a  Father  he 
should  act  as  such  ? 

Vague  Conception  of  God. 

One  day,  in  conversation  with  the  Jungo-kritu, 
head  pundit  of  the  College  of  Fort  William,  on  the 
subject  of  God,  this  man,  who  is  truly  learned  in  his 
own  shastrus,  gave  me,  from  one  of  their  books,  this 
parable  :  "In  a  certain  country  there  existed  a  village 
of  blind  men.  These  men  had  heard  that  there  was  an 
amazing  animal  called  the  elephant,  but  they  knew  not 
how  to  form  an  idea  of  his  shape.  One  day  an  ele- 
phant happened  to  pass  through  the  place  :  the  villagers 
crowded  to  the  spot  where  the  animal  was  standing. 
One  of  them  got  hold  of  his  trunk,  another  seized  his 
ear,  another  his  tail,  another  one  of  his  legs,  etc.  After 
thus  trying  to  gratify  their  curiosity  they  returned  into 
the  village,  and  sitting  down  together  they  began  to 
give  their  ideas  on  what  the  elephant  was  like :  the 


494  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

man  who  had  seized  his  trunk  said  he  thought  the 
elephant  was  like  the  body  of  a  plantain  tree ;  the 
man  who  had  felt  his  ear  said  he  thought  he  was  like 
the  fan  with  which  the  Hindoos  clean  the  rice;  the 
man  who  had  felt  his  tail  said  he  thought  he  must  be 
like  a  snake,  and  the  man  who  had  seized  his  leg, 
thought  he  must  be  like  a  pillar. 

"An  old  blind  man  of  some  judgment  was  present, 
who  was  greatly  perplexed  how  to  reconcile  these 
jarring  notions  respecting  the  form  of  the  elephant ; 
but  he  at  length  said,  '  You  have  all  been  to  examine 
this  animal,  it  is  true,  and  what  you  report  cannot  be 
false  :  I  suppose,  therefore,  that  that  which  was  like 
the  plantain  tree  must  be  his  trunk  ;  that  which  was 
like  a  fan  must  be  his  ear  ;  that  which  was  like  a  snake 
must  be  his  tail,  and  that  which  was  like  a  pillar  must 
be  his  body.'  In  this  way  the  old  man  united  all  their 
notions,  and  made  out  something  of  the  form  of  the 
elephant.  Respecting  God,  added  the  pundit,  we 
are  all  blind  ;  none  of  us  has  seen  him ;  those  who 
wrote  the  shastrus,  like  the  old  blind  man,  have  col- 
lected all  the  reasonings  and  conjectures  of  mankind 
together,  and  have  endeavored  to  form  some  idea  of 
the  nature  of  the  Divine  Being." 

The  pundit's  parable  may  be  appropriately  applied 
to  the  science  of  theology.  Some  Christians  see  one 
truth  and  some  another,  and  each  one  is  quite  sure 
that  he  has  beheld  the  whole.  Where  is  the  master- 
mind who  shall  gather  up  the  truth  out  of  each  creed, 
and  see  the  theology  of  the  Bible  in  its  completeness? 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  495 

— a  sublimer  sight  than  the  believers  in  the  isms  have 
yet  been  able  to  imagine. 

Jesus  tlie  Sum  of  tlie  Gospel. 

In  a  village  church  in  one  of  the  Tyrolese  valleys, 
we  saw  upon  the  pulpit  an  outstretched  arm,  carved  in 
wood,  the  hand  of  which  held  forth  a  cross.  We 
noted  the  emblem  as  full  of  instruction  as  to  what  all 
true  ministry  should  be,  and  must  be — a  holding  forth 
of  the  cross  of  Christ  to  the  multitude  as  the  only 
trust  of  sinners.  Jesus  Christ  must  be  set  forth  evi- 
dently crucified  among  them.  Lord,  make  this  the 
aim  and  habit  of  all  our  ministers ! 

Godliness  no  Burden  to  True  Saints. 

The  Princess  Elizabeth  carried  the  crown  for  her 
sister  in  the  procession  at  Mary's  coronation,  and 
complained  to  Noailles  of  its  great  weight.  "Be 
patient,"  was  the  adroit  answer,  "it  will  seem  lighter 
when  on  your  own  head."  The  outward  forms  of 
godliness  are  as  burdensome  to  an  unregenerate  man 
as  was  the  crown  to  the  princess  ;  but  let  him  be  born 
again  and  so  made  a  possessor  of  the  good  things  of 
divine  grace,  and  they  will  sit  easily  enough  upon  his 
head,  as  his  glory  and  delight. 

Gold  in  Kougli  Places. 

Did  the  eye  ever  rest  upon  a  more  utter  desolation 
than  that  which  surrounds  the  gold  mines  near 
Goldau  in  the  Hartz  mountains  ?  It  is  worlse  than  a 
howling  wilderness,  it  is  a  desert  with  its  bowels  torn 
out,  and  scattered  in  horrid  confusion.     More  or  less 


496  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

this  is  true  of  all  gold-mining  regions,  and  Humboldt, 
when  writing  of  the  Pearl  Coast,  says  that  it  presents 
the  same  aspect  of  misery  as  the  countries  of  gold 
and  diamonds.  Is  it  so,  then  ?  Are  riches  so  near 
akin  to  horror?  Lord,  let  me  set  my  affections  on 
better  things,  and  seek  for  less  dangerous  wealth. 

Duty  of  Spreading-  the  Gospel. 

Huber,  the  great  naturalist,  tells  us  that  if  a  single 
wasp  discovers  a  deposit  of  honey  or  other  food,  he 
will  return  to  his  nest  and  impart  the  good  news  to 
his  companions,  who  will  sally  forth  in  great  numbers 
to  partake  of  the  fare  which  has  been  discovered  for 
them.  Shall  we,  who  have  found  honey  in  the  rock 
Christ  Jesus,  be  less  considerate  of  our  fellow-men 
than  wasps  are  of  their  fellow-insects?  Ought  we 
not  rather  like  the  Samaritan  woman  to  hasten  to  tell 
the  good  news  ?  Common  humanity  should  prevent 
one  of  us  from  concealing  the  great  discovery  which 
grace  has  enabled  us  to  make. 

Grace  Equal  to  Our  Day. 

Whenever  the  Lord  sets  his  servants  to  do  extraor- 
dinary work,  he  always  gives  them  extraordinary 
strength;  or  if  he  puts  them  to  unusual  suffering,  he 
gives  them  unusual  patience.  When  we  enter  upon 
war  with  some  petty  New  Zealand  chief,  our  troops 
expect  to  have  their  charges  defrayed,  and  accordingly 
we  pay  them  gold  by  thousands,  as  their  expenses  may 
require ;  but  when  an  army  marches  against  a  grim 
monarch,  in  an  unknown  country,  who  has  insulted  the 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  497 

British  flag-,  we  pay,  as  we  know  to  our  cost,  not  by 
thousands  but  by  millions.  And  thus,  if  God  calls  us 
to  common  and  ordinary  trials,  he  will  defray  the 
charges  of  our  warfare  by  thousands,  but  if  he  com- 
mands us  to  an  unusual  struggle  with  some  tremen- 
dous foe,  he  will  discharge  the  liabilities  of  our  war  by 
millions,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  grace  in  which 
he  has  abounded  towards  us  through  Christ  Jesus. 

Maturity  in  Grace. 

Maturity  in  grace  makes  us  willing  to  part  with 
worldly  goods  ;  the  green  apple  needs  a  sharp  twist 
to  separate  it  from  the  bough ;  but  the  ripe  fruit  parts 
readily  from  the  wood.  Maturity  in  grace  makes  it 
easier  to  part  with  life  itself;  the  unripe  pear  is  scarcely 
beaten  down  with  much  labor,  while  its  mellow  com- 
panion drops  readily  into  the  hand  with  the  slightest 
shake.  Rest  assured  that  love  to  the  things  of  this 
life,  and  cleaving  to  this  present  state,  are  sure  indica- 
tions of  immaturity  in  the  divine  life. 

The  Gospel  Should  he  Preached  Constantly. 

When  Le  Tourneau  preached  the  Lent  sermon  at  St. 
Benoit,  at  Paris,  Louis  XIV.  enquired  of  Boileau,  "  if 
he  knew  anything  of  a  preacher  called  Le  Tourneau, 
whom  everybody  was  running  after?"  "  Sire,"  replied 
the  poet,  "your  Majesty  knows  that  people  always  run 
after  novelties;  this  man  preaches  the  gospel."  Boil- 
eau's  remark  as  to  the  novelty  of  preaching  the  gospel 
in  his  time,  brings  to  mind  the  candid  confession  of  a 
Flemish  preacher  who,  in  a  sermon  delivered  before 
32 


498  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

an  audience  wholly  of  his  own  order,  said,  "  We  are 
worse  than  Judas ;  he  sold  and  delivered  his  Master, 
we  sell  him  too,  but  deliver  him  not." 

Graces  Should  be  Seasonable. 

It  is  said  in  praise  of  the  tree  planted  by  the  rivers 
of  water,  that  it  bringeth  forth  its  fruit  in  its  season; 
good  men  should  aim  to  have  seasonable  virtues.  For 
instance,  a  forgiving  spirit  is  golden  if  it  display  itself 
in  the  moment  when  an  injury  is  received  ;  it  is  but 
silver  if  it  show  itself  upon  speedy  reflection,  and  it  is 
mere  lead  if  it  be  manifested  after  a  lone  time  for 
cooling.  The  whole  matter  reminds  us  of  the  War- 
wickshire estimate  of  swarms  of  bees : 

"A  swarm  of  bees  in  May 
Is  worth  a  load  of  hay  ; 
A  swarm  of  bees  in  June 
Is  worth  a  silver  spune  (spoon)  ; 
A  swarm  of  bees  in  July 
Is  not  worth  a  fly." 

Hearing  for  Others. 

The  negro  preachers  are  often  marked  by  great 
shrewdness  and  mother  wit,  and  will  not  only  point 
the  truth,  but  barb  it  so  that  if  once  in  it  will  stick  fast. 
One  of  these  was  once  descantinsf  with  much  earnest- 
ness  on  different  ways  in  which  men  lose  their  souls. 
Under  one  head  of  remark,  he  said  that  men  often 
lose  their  souls  through  excessive  generosity. 
"What!"  he  exclaimed,  "you  say,  ministers  often  tell 
us  we  lose  our  souls  for  stinginess,  and  for  being 
covetous ;  but  who  ever   heard  of  a   man  that  hurt 


EEV.  CHAELES  H.  SPUBGEON.  499 

himself  by  going  too  far  t'other  way  ?  I  tell  you  how 
they  do  it.  They  sit  down  under  the  sermon,  and 
when  the  preacher  touch  this  sin  or  that  sin,  they  no 
take  it  to  themselves,  but  give  this  part  of  the  sermon 
to  one  brother,  and  that  part  to  another  brother.  And 
so  they  give  away  the  whole  sermon,  and  it  do  them 
no  good.  And  that's  the  way  they  lose  their  souls  by 
being  too  generous." 

There  is  great  truth  in  this  remark.  The  want  of 
a  self-applying  conscience  causes  much  of  the  be&t  of 
preaching  to  fall  like  rain  upon  a  rock,  from  which  it 
soon  runs  off;  or  if  a  little  is  caught  in  a  hollow,  it 
only  stagnates,  and  then  dries  away,  leaving  no  bless- 
ing behind.  A  sermon,  however  true  and  forcible, 
thus  disposed  of,  does  no  good  to  those  among  whom 
it  is  so  silently  distributed,  while  it  leaves  him  who 
squanders  its  treasures  to  perish  at  last  in  the  poverty 
and  emptiness  of  his  soul. 

Hope. 

Once  on  a  time,  certain  strong  laborers  were  sent 
forth  by  the  great  King  to  level  a  primeval  forest,  to 
plough  it,  to  sow  it,  and  to  bring  to  him  the  harvest. 
They  were  stout-hearted  and  strong,  and  willing 
enough  for  labor,  and  much  they  needed  all  their 
strength  and  more.  One  stalwart  laborer  was  named 
Industry — consecrated  work  was  his.  His  brother 
Patience,  with  thews  of  steel,  went  with  him,  and  tired 
not  in  the  longest  days  under  the  heaviest  labors.  To 
help  them  they  had  Zeal,  clothed  with  ardent  and  in- 


500  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

domitable  energy.     Side  by  side  there  stood  his  kins- 
man Self-4enial,  and  his  friend  Importunity. 

These  went  forth  to  their  labor,  and  they  took  with 
them,  to  cheer  their  toils,  their  well-beloved  sister 
Hope  ;  and  well  it  was  they  did,  for  they  needed  the 
music  of  her  consolation  ere  the  work  was  done,  for 
the  fore<st  trees  were  huge,  and  demanded  many 
sturdy  blows  of  the  axe  ere  they  would  fall  prone 
upon  the  ground.  One  by  one  the  giant  forest  kings 
were  overthrown,  but  the  labor  was  immense  and 
incessant.  At  night  when  they  went  to  their  rest,  the 
day's  work  seemed  so  light,  for  as  they  crossed 
the  threshold,  Patience,  wiping  the  sweat  from  his 
brow,  would  be  encouraged,  and  Self-denial  would  be 
strengthened,  by  hearing  the  voice  of  Hope  within 
singing,  "  God  will  bless  us,  God,  even  our  own  God, 
will  bless  us." 

They  felled  the  lofty  trees  to  the  music  of  that 
strain  ;  they  cleared  the  acres  one  by  one,  they  tore 
from  their  sockets  the  huge  roots,  they  delved  the 
soil,  they  sowed  the  corn,  and  waited  for  the  harvest, 
often  much  discouraged,  but  still  held  to  their  work  as 
by  silver  chains  and  golden  fetters  by  the  sweet  sound 
of  the  voice  which  chanted  so  constantly,  "  God,  even 
our  own  God,  will  bless  us."  They  never  could  re- 
frain from  service,  for  Hope  never  could  refrain 
from  song.  They  were  ashamed  to  be  discour- 
aged, they  were  shocked  to  be  despairing,  for  still  the 
voice  rang  clearly  out  at  noon  and  eventide,  "God 
will  bless  us,  God,  even  our  own  God,  will  bless  us." 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEOK  501 

You  know  the  parable,  you  recognize  the  voice ;  may 
you  hear  it  in  your  souls  to-day  ! 

It  is  reported  that  in  the  Tamul  language  there  Is 
no  word  for  hope.  Alas  !  poor  men,  if  we  were  all  as 
destitute  of  blessed  comfort  itself  as  these  Tamul 
speakers  are  of  the  word  !  What  must  be  the  misery 
of  souls  in  hell  where  they  remember  the  word,  but 
can  never  know  hope  itself  ! 

Humility. 

Wise  men  know  their  own  ignorance  and  are  ever 
ready  to  learn.  Humility  is  the  child  of  knowledge. 
Michael  Angelo  was  found  by  the  Cardinal  Farnese 
walking  in  solitude  amid  the  ruins  of  the  Coliseum, 
and  when  he  expressed  his  surprise,  the  great  artist 
answered,  "  I  go  yet  to  school  that  I  may  continue  to 
learn."  Who  among  us  can  after  this  talk  of  finish- 
ing our  education  ?  We  have  need  to  learn  of  all 
around  us.  He  must  be  very  foolish  who  cannot  tell 
us  something  ;  or  more  likely  we  must  be  more  foolish 
not  to  be  able  to  learn  of  him. 

Hypocrisy. 

In  the  olden  times  even  the  best  rooms  were  usually 
of  bare  brick  or  stone,  damp  and  mouldy ;  but  over 
these  in  great  houses  when  the  family  was  resi- 
dent, were  hung  up  arra,s  or  hangings  of  rich  materials, 
between  which  and  the  wall  persons  might  conceal 
themselves,  so  that  literally  walls  had  ears.  It  is  to  be 
feared  that  many  a  brave  show  of  godliness  is  but  an 
arras  to  conceal   rank  hypocrisy ;    and  this  accounts 


602  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

for  some  men's  religion  being  but  occasional,  since  it 
is  folded  up  or  exposed  to  view  as  need  may  demand. 
Is  there  no  room  for  conscience  to  pry  between  thy 
feigned  profession  and  thy  real  ungodliness,  and  bear 
witness  against  thee  ?  Remember,  if  conscience  do  it 
not,  certainly  "  the  watcher  and  the  Holy  One  "  will 
make  a  thorough  search  within  thee. 

In  the  pursuit  of  pastoral  duty,  I  stood  a  little  while 
ago  in  a  cheesemonger's  shop,  and  being  in  a  fidgety 
humor,  and  having  a  stick  in  my  hand,  I  did  what  most 
Englishmen  are  sure  to  do,  I  was  not  content  with 
seeing,  but  must  needs  touch  as  well.  My  stick  came 
gently  upon  a  fine  cheese  in  the  window,  and  to  my 
surprise  a  most  metallic  sound  emanated  from  it.  The 
sound  was  rather  hollow,  or  one  might  have  surmised 
that  all  the  tasteholes  had  been  filled  up  with  sover- 
eigns, and  thus  the  cheese  had  been  greatly  enriched, 
and  the  merchant  had  been  his  own  banker.  There 
was,  however,  a  sort  of  crockery  jingle  in  the  sound, 
like  the  ring  of  a  huge  bread  or  milk-pan,  such  as  our 
country  friends  use  so  abundantly;  and  I  came  to  the 
very  correct  conclusion  that  I  had  found  a  very  well 
got-up  hypocrite  in  the  shop  window. 

Mark,  from  this  time,  when  I  pass  by,  I  mentally 
whisper,  "Pottery;"  and  the  shams  may  even  be  ex- 
changed for  realities,  but  I  shs^ll  be  long  in  believing  it. 
In  my  mind  the  large  stock  has  dissolved  into  pot- 
sherds, and  the  fine  show  in  the  window  only  suggests 
the  potter's  vessel.  The  homely  illustration  is  simply 
introduced  because  we  find  people  of  this  sort  in  our 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  503 

churches,  looking  extremely  like  what  they  should  be, 
yet  having  no  substance  in  them,  so  that  if,  accidentally, 
one  happens  to  tap  them  somewhere  or  other  with 
sudden  temptation  or  stern  duty,  the  baked  earth  gives 
forth  its  own  ring,  and  the  pretender  is  esteemed  no 
longer. 

The  shops  in  the  square  of  San  Marco  were  all  re- 
ligiously closed,  for  the  day  was  a  high  festival ;  we 
were  much  disappointed,  for  it  was  our  last  day,  and 
we  desired  to  take  away  with  us  some  souvenirs  of 
lovely  Venice ;  but  our  regret  soon  vanished,  for  on 
looking  at  the  shop  we  meant  to  patronize,  we  readily 
discovered  signs  of  traffic  within.  We  stepped  to  the 
side  door,  and  found  when  one  or  two  other  customers 
had  been  served,  that  we  might  purchase  to  our  heart's 
content,  saint  or  no  saint.  After  this  fashion  too 
many  keep  the  laws  of  God  to  the  eye,  but  violate 
them  in  the  heart.  The  shutters  are  up  as  if  the  man 
no  more  dealt  with  sin  and  Satan  ;  but  a  brisk  com- 
merce is  going  on  behind  the  scenes.  From  such 
deceit  may  the  Spirit  of  truth  preserve  us. 

The  counterfeit  will  always  have  some  admirers, 
from  its  cheapness  in  the  market.  One  must  dig  deep 
in  dark  mines  for  gold  and  silver  ;  the  precious  treas- 
ure must  be  brought  from  far  across  the  seas;  it 
must  be  melted  down,  it  must  pass  through  many 
assays,  and  the  dies  must  be  worked  with  ponderous 
engines  before  the  coin  can  be  produced ;  all  this  to 
the  sluggish  many  is  a  heavy  disadvantage.  Hush ! 
hearken  !  steal  silently  upstairs ;  the   spirit  of  deceit 


504  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

invites  you  to  her  chamber  ;  a  little  plaster  of  Paris,  a 
fire,  a  crucible,  molten  lead,  the  mould,  and  there  is 
your  money,  sir,  without  troubling  Peru,  Potosi,  Cali- 
fornia or  the  Mint.  Slink  out  and  change  your  fine 
new  shillings,  and  your  fortune's  made  without  the 
ignoble  waste  of  sweat  and  labor.  But  be  quiet,  for  a 
detective  may  be  near,  a  coarse-minded  minion  of  un- 
poetic  law,  who  may  cruelly  block  up  your  road,  or 
even  lead  you  into  prison.  Short  cuts  to  wealth  have 
brought  many  to  the  hulks  ;  and,  let  me  add,  there  are 
short  cuts  to  godliness  which  have  brought  many  to 
perdition. 

There  was  an  age  of  chivalry,  when  no  craven 
courted  knighthood,  for  it  involved  the  hard  blows,  the 
dangerous  wounds,  the  rough  unhorsings  and  the  un- 
gentle perils  of  the  tournament ;  nay,  these  were  but 
child's  play ;  there  were  distant  eastern  fields,  where 
Paynim  warriors  must  be  slain  by  valiant  hands,  and 
blood  must  flow  in  rivers  from  the  Red-cross  knights. 
Then  men  who  lacked  valor  preferred  their  hawks  and 
their  jesters,  and  left  heroes  to  court  death  and  glory 
on  the  battle-field.  This  genial  time  of  peace  breeds 
carpet  knights,  who  flourish  their  untried  weapons,  and 
bear  the  insignia  of  valor,  without  incurring  its  incon- 
venient toils.  Many  are  crowding  to  the  seats  of  the 
heroes,  since  prowess  and  patience  are  no  more  re- 
quired. The  war  is  over,  and  every  man  is  willing  to 
enlist. 

When  Rome  commenced  her  long  career  of  victory, 
it  was  no  pleasant  thing  to  be  a  soldier  in  the  Roman 


iREV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  505 

legions.  The  power  which  smote  the  nations  Hke  a 
rod  of  iron  abroad,  was  a  yoke  of  iron  at  home. 
There  were  long  forced  marches,  with  hunger  and  cold 
and  weariness  ;  heavy  armor  was  the  usual  load  when 
the  legionary  marched  at  ease ;  but  "  ease  "  was  a  word 
he  seldom  used.  Rivers  were  forded  ;  mountains  were 
scaled;  barbarians  were  attacked ;  proud  nations  were 
assailed  ;  kingdoms  were  subdued.  No  toil  too  stern 
for  the  scarred  veteran,  no  odds  too  heavy,  no  on- 
slaught too  ferocious,  no  arms  too  terrible.  Scarcely 
were  his  wounds  healed  ere  he  was  called  to  new 
fields  ;  his  life  was  battle  ;  his  home  the  tent ;  his  re- 
past was  plunder ;  his  bed  the  battle-field ;  while  the 
eagle's  bloody  talons  removed  all  need  of  sepulchre 
for  his  slaughtered  body. 

But  afterwards,  when  Rome  was  mistress  of  the 
world,  and  the  Praetorian  cohorts  could  sell  the  impe- 
rial purple  to  the  highest  bidder,  many  would  follow 
the  legions  to  share  their  spoils.  It  is  not  otherwise 
to-day.  Into  the  triumphs  of  martyrs  and  confessors 
few  are  willing  to  enter ;  in  a  national  respect  to 
religion,  which  is  the  result  of  their  holiness,  even 
ungodly  men  are  willing  to  share.  They  have  gone 
before  us  with  true  hearts  valiant  for  truth,  and  false 
traitors  are  willing  to  divide  their  spoils. 

The  Evils  of  Inactivity. 

What  a  mournful  sight  the  observer  may  see  in  some 
of  the  outskirts  of  our  huge  city;  row  after  row  of 
houses  all  untenanted  and  forlorn.  The  owners  had 
far  better  let  them  at  the  lowest  rent  than  suffer  them 


606  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

to  remain  empty,  for  the  boys  make  targets  of  the 
windows,  enterprising  purveyors  for  the  marine  store 
shops  rend  off  all  the  lead,  thieves  purloin  every  mov- 
able fitting,  damp  swells  the  window  frames  and  doors, 
and  mustiness  makes  the  whole  place  wretched  to  all 
the  senses ;  into  the  bargain  the  district  gets  a  bad  name 
which  it  probably  never  loses.  Better  a  poor  tenant 
than  a  house  running  to  ruin  unused. 

The  similitude  may  well  suggest  the  desirableness  of 
an  object  and  a  service  to  those  Christians  whose  time 
is  wasted  in  slothful  ease.  All  sorts  of  mischief  hap- 
pen to  unoccupied  professors  of  religion ;  there  is  no 
evil  from  which  they  are  secure  ;  better  would  it  be 
for  them  to  accept  the  lowest  occupation  for  the  Lord 
Jesus  than  remain  the  victims  of  inaction. 

Inconsistency. 

Mark  Antony  once  yoked  two  lions  together,  and 
drove  them  through  the  streets  of  Rome,  but  no 
human  skill  can  ever  yoke  together  the  Lion  of  the 
Tribe  of  Judah  and  the  Lion  of  the  Pit.  I  did  see  a 
man  once  trying  to  walk  on  both  sides  of  the  street 
at  one  time,  but  he  was  undoubtedly  drunk ;  and  when 
we  see  a  man  laboring  day  by  day  to  walk  on  both 
sides  of  the  street,  morally — in  the  shady  side  of  sin 
and  the  sunny  side  of  holiness,  or  reeling  in  the  even- 
ing, at  one  time  towards  the  bright  lights  of  virtue, 
and  anon  staggering  back  to  sin  in  dark  places,  where 
no  lamp  is  shining — we  say  of  him,  **  He  is  morally 
intoxicated ;"  and  wisdom  adds,  "He  is  mad,  and  if 
the  Great  Physician  heal  him  not,  his  madness  will 
bring  him  to  destruction." 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  507 

Shameful  Sickness. 

There  once  lived  in  Ghent  a  beggar,  who  was  accus- 
tomed to  collect  alms  upon  the  pretence  that  he  had  a 
secret  disease  lying  in  his  bones  and  weakening  his 
whole  body,  and  that  he  dared  not  for  shame  mention 
the  name  of  it.  This  appeal  was  exceedingly  success- 
ful, until  a  person  in  authority,  more  curious  than  the 
rest,  insisted  upon  following  him  and  examining  him 
at  home.  At  last  the  beggar  confessed  as  follows  : 
"  That  which  pains  me  you  see  not ;  but  I  have  a  shame- 
ful disease  in  my  bones,  so  that  I  cannot  work ;  som.e 
call  it  sloth,  and  others  term  it  idleness."  Alas  !  that 
so  many  in  our  churches  should  be  so   far   gone  with 

THIS  SAME  SICKNESS. 

Invitations  of  the  Gospel. 

In  the  courts  of  law  if  a  man  be  called  as  a  witness, 
no  sooner  is  his  name  mentioned,  though  he  may  be 
at  the  end  of  the  court,  than  he  begins  to  force  his  way 
up  to  the  witness-box.  Nobody  says,  "  Why  is  this 
man  pushing  here  ?"  or,  if  they  should  say,  "  Who  are 
you  ?"  it  would  be  a  sufficient  answer  to  say,  "  My 
name  was  called."  "  But  you  are  not  rich,  you  have 
no  gold  ring  upon  your  finger !"  "  No,  but  that  is  not 
my  right  of  way,  but  I  was  called."  "  Sir,  you  are  not 
a  man  of  repute,  or  rank,  or  character  !"  "  It  matters 
not,  I  was  called.  Make  way."  So  make  way,  ye 
doubts  and  fears,  make  way,  ye  devils  of  the  infernal 
lake,  Christ  calls  the  sinner.  Sinner,  come,  for  though 
thou  hast  nought  to  recommend  thee,  yet  it  is  written, 
"Him  that  cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 


508  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

Use  of  Infirmities. 

Some  of  the  arable  land  along  the  shore  on  the 
southeast  coast  of  Sutherland  is  almost  covered  with 
shore  stones,  from  the  size  of  a  turkey's  egg  to  eight 
pounds  weight.  Several  experiments  have  been  made 
to  collect  these  off  the  land,  expecting  a  better  crop  ; 
but  in  every  case  the  land  proved  less  productive  by 
removing  them ;  and  on  some  small  spots  of  land  it 
was  found  so  evident,  that  they  were  spread  on  the 
land  again,  to  ensure  their  usual  crop  of  oats  or 
pease. 

We  would  fain  be  rid  of  all  our  infimities  which,  to 
our  superficial  conceptions,  appear  to  be  great  hin- 
drances to  our  usefulness,  and  yet  it  is  most  question- 
able if  we  should  bring  forth  any  fruit  unto  God  with- 
out them.  Much  rather,  therefore,  will  I  glory  in  in- 
firmities, that  the  power  of  Christ  may  rest  upon  me. 

Irascible  Persons  Not  to  be  Provoked. 

In  the  Jardin  des  Plantes  we  saw  a  hooded  snake  in 
a  most  unamiable  condition  of  temper.  There  was  a 
thick  glass  and  a  stout  wire  between  us,  and  we  did 
nothing  but  look  at  him,  yet  he  persisted  in  darting  at 
us  with  the  utmost  vehemence  of  malice,  until  the 
keeper  requested  us  to  move  away,  with  the  advice 
that  it  was  not  well  to  irritate  such  creatures. 

When  one  meets  with  an  irascible  person,  on  the 
lookout  to  pick  a  quarrel,  ill  conditioned,  and  out  of 
elbows  with  the  whole  world,  it  is  best  to  move  on, 
and  let  him  alone.  .  Even  if  he  can  do  you  no  harm, 
and  if  his  irritation  be  utterly  unreasonable,  it  is  best 


KEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPUEGEON.  509 

to  remove  all  exciting  causes  of  provocation,  for  it  is 
never  wise  to  irritate  vipers.  You  do  notion  purpose 
walk  heavily  across  the  floor  to  teach  a  gouty  man  that 
you  have  no  respect  for  his  tender  feelings  since  he 
ought  not  to  be  so  susceptible ;  neither  should  you 
vex  those  afflicted  with  a  bad  temper,  and  then  plead 
that  they  have  no  right  to  be  so  excitable.  If  our 
neighbors'  tempers  are  gunpowder,  let  us  not  play 
with  the  fire. 

Perverted  Judg-nient. 
When  a  traveller  is  newly  among  the  Alps,  he  is 
constantly  deceived  in  his  reckoning.  One  English- 
man declared  that  he  could  climb  the  Rigi  in  a  half 
hour,  but  after  several  panting  hours  the  summit  was 
still  ahead  of  him  ;  yet  when  he  made  the  boast,  some 
of  us  who  stood  by  were  much  of  his  mind — the  ascent 
seemed  so  easy.  This  partly  accounts  for  the  mis- 
takes men  make  in  estimating  eternal  things :  they 
have  been  too  much  used  to  molehills  to  be  at  home 
with  mountains.  Only  familiarity  with  the  sublimities 
of  revelation  can  educate  us  to  a  comprehension  of 
their  heights  and  depths. 

Kingdom  of  Christ— Its  Glories. 

The  palace  of  Versailles,  with  its  countless  repre- 
sentations of  battles,  sieges,  stormings,  surprises  and 
all  other  forms  of  wholesale  and  retail  murder,  is  dedi- 
cated, according  to  an  inscription  on  its  front,"  To  all  the 
glories  of  France."  Bah !  As  well  consecrate  a  shambles 
to  all  the  glories  of  a  butcher.  But  what  a  glorious 
spiritual  palace  is  the  Church,  and  how  truly  is  it  dedi- 


610  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

cated  to  all  the  glories  of  the  Lord  Jesus !  Within  its 
walls  hang  the  memorials  of  battles  far  more  worthy 
of  the  historian's  quill  than  those  of  Austerlitz  or  Wa- 
gram ;  victories  are  there  commemorated  which  put 
to  the  blush  all  the  achievements  of  Charlemagne  or 
Napoleon  ;  for  the  contests  are  with  evil  principles, 
and  the  conquests  are  triumphs  over  iniquity  and  re- 
bellion ;  there  are  no  garments  rolled  in  blood ;  fire 
and  vapor  of  smoke  are  not  there,  but  the  efficacy  of 
atonement,  the  energy  of  grace,  the  Omnipotence  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  the  puissance  of  eternal  love,  all  these 
are  there,  and  happy  are  the  eyes  that  see  them.  May 
the  life  of  each  one  of  us  contribute  a  new  work  of 
celestial  art  to  those  which  already  represent  to  angels 
and  heavenly  intelligences  "  the  glories  of  Christ." 

Letharg-y  of  Soul. 

Two  of  my  hearers  perished  by  a  fire  in  their  own 
house.  They  were  not  consumed  by  the  flames,  but 
they  were  suffocated  by  the  smoke.  No  blaze  was 
ever  visible,  nor  could  any  remarkable  sign  of  fire  be 
seen  from  the  street,  yet  they  died  as  readily  as  if  they 
had  been  burned  to  ashes  by  raging  flames.  In  this 
way  sin  also  is  deadly.  Comparatively  few  of  our 
hearers  are  destroyed  by  outrageous  and  flaming  vices, 
such  as  blasphemy,  theft,  drunkenness,  or  uncleanness  ; 
but  crowds  of  them  are  perishing  by  that  deadly 
smoke  of  indifference  which  casts  its  stifling  clouds  of 
carelessness  around  them,  and  sends  them  asleep  into 
everlasting  destruction.  O  that  they  could  be  saved 
from  the  smoke  as  well  as  from  the  flame ! 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPUKGEON.  511 

Knowledge  Lies  not  in  Mere  Words. 

I  heard  two  persons  on  the  Wengern  Alp  talking 
by  the  hour  together  of  the  names  of  ferns ;  not  a 
word  about  their  characteristics,  uses,  or  habits,  but  a 
medley  of  crack-jaw  titles,  and  nothing  more.  They 
evidently  felt  that  they  were  ventilating  their  botany, 
and  kept  each  other  in  countenance  by  alternate  volleys 
of  nonsense.  Well,  friend,  they  were  about  as  sensi- 
ble as  those  doctrinalists  who  forever  talk  over  the 
technicalities  of  religion,  but  know  nothing  by  experi- 
ence of  its  spirit  and  power.  Are  we  not  all  too  apt 
to  amuse  ourselves  after  the  same  fashion  ?  He  who 
knows  mere  Linnaean  names,  but  has  never  seen  a 
flower,  is  as  reliable  in  botany  as  he  is  in  theology  who 
can  descant  upon  supralapsarianism,  but  has  never 
known  the  love  of  Christ  in  his  heart. 

True  religion's  more  than  doctrine, 
Something  must  be  known  and  felt. 

Spiritual  Life. 

How  like  to  a  Christian  a  man  may  be  and  yet  pos- 
sess no  vital  godliness !  Walk  through  the  British 
Museum,  and  you  will  see  all  the  orders  of  animals 
standing  In  their  various  places,  and  exhibiting  them- 
selves with  the  utmost  possible  propriety.  The  rhino- 
ceros demurely  retains  the  position  in  which  he 
was  set  at  first,  the  eagle  soars  not  through  the 
window,  the  wolf  howls  not  at  night,  every  creature, 
whether  bird,  beast  or  fish,  remains  in  the  particular 
glass  alloted  to  it ;  but  we  all  know  that  these  are  not 
the  creatures,    but   only  the  outward  semblances  of 


512  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

them.  Yet  in  what  do  they  differ  ?  Certainly  in 
nothing  which  you  could  readily  see,  for  the  well- 
stuffed  animal  is  precisely  like  what  the  living  animal 
would  have  been  ;  and  that  eye  of  glass  even  appears 
to  have  more  of  brightness  in  it  than  the  natural  eye 
of  the  creature  itself;  there  is  a  secret  inward  some- 
thing lacking,  which,  when  it  has  once  departed,  you 
cannot  restore. 

So  in  the  churches  of  Christ,  many  professors  are 
not  living  believers,  but  stuffed  Christians.  They  pos- 
sess all  the  externals  of  religion  and  every  outward 
morality  that  you  could  desire ;  they  behave  with 
great  propriety,  they  keep  their  places,  and  there  is  no 
outward  difference  between  them  and  the  true  believer, 
except  upon  the  vital  point,  the  life  which  no  power 
on  earth  can  possibly  confer.  There  is  this  essential 
distinction,  spiritual  life  is  absent. 

LiOng-ings  of  the  Soul. 

Have  you  never  seen  a  caged  eagle  with  its  breast 
or  wing  bleeding  from  blows  received  by  dashing 
against  the  wire  of  its  cage?  The  poor  creature 
dreamed  of  the  forest  and  the  craggy  rock,  and,  filled 
with  aspirations  for  sublimest  flight,  it  stretched  its 
wings  and  flew  upward,  only  to  bring  itself  into  sharp 
contact  with  its  prison. 

Even  thus  the  new-born  nature,  stirred  in  its  inmost 
depths  with  longings  suitable  to  its  celestial  origin, 
aspires  after  the  joys  of  heaven,  stretching  all  its  wings 
to  soar  toward  perfection  ;  but  alas  !  we  who  are  in 
this  body  do  groan,  we  find  the  flesh  to  be  a  prison, 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  513 

and  so  the  more  we  long  the  more  we  pine,  and  pining 
we  sigh  and  cry,  and  wound  our  hearts  with  insatiable 
desires  and  bleeding  discontents.  The  pangs  of  strong 
desire  for  the  presence  of  the  Lord  in  glory,  who 
among  believers  has  not  felt  them  ?  Who  among  us 
has  not  found  our  flight  upward  brought  to  a  painful 
pause  by  the  stern  facts  of  flesh  and  blood,  and  earth 
and  sin? 

liittle  Things  May  Grow. 
When  the  air  balloon  was  first  discovered,  a  mat- 
ter-of-fact gentleman  contemptuously  asked  Dr. 
Franklin  what  was  the  use  of  it.  The  doctor  an- 
swered this  question  by  asking  another:  "  What  is 
the  use  of  a  newborn  infant?  It  may  become  a  man." 
This  anticipation  of  great  springing  from  small  begin- 
nings should  induce  us  to  put  into  practice  those  holy 
promptings  which  at  certain  seasons  move  our  souls. 
What  if  we  ourselves  and  our  work  should  be  little  in 
Zion  ;  cannot  the  Lord  cause  the  grandest  issues  to 
proceed  from  insignificant  beginnings  ?  Who  hath 
despised  the  day  of  small  things  ? 

The  Love  of  God. 

Frequently  at  the  great  Roman  games,  the  emperors, 
in  order  to  gratify  the  citizens  of  Rome,  would  cause 
sweet  perfumes  to  be  rained  down  upon  them  through 
the  awning  which  covered  the  amphitheatre.  Behold 
the  vases,  the  huge  vessels  of  perfume !  Yes,  but 
there  is  nought  here  to  delight  you  so  long  as  the  jars 
are  sealed ;  but  let  the  vases  be  opened,  and  the  ves- 

33 


614  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

sels  be  poured  out,  and  let  the  drops  of  perfumed  rain 
begin  to  descend,  and  every  one  is  refreshed  and 
gratified  thereby.  Such  is  the  love  of  God,  There  is 
a  richness  and  a  fulness  in  it,  but  it  is  not  perceived 
till  the  Spirit  of  God  pours  it  out  like  the  rain  of  fra- 
grance over  the  heads  and  hearts  of  all  the  living  chil- 
dren of  God.  See,  then,  the  need  of  having  the  love 
of  God  shed  abroad  in  the  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost ! 

A  Good  Man's  Influence. 

Alexander  von  Humboldt  thus  writes  of  the  cow 
tree:  "On  the  barren  flank  of  a  rock  grows  a  tree 
with  coriaceous  and  dry  leaves.  Its  large  woody  roots 
can  scarcely  penetrate  into  the  stone.  For  several 
months  of  the  year  not  a  single  shower  moistens  its 
foliage.  Its  branches  appear  dead  and  dried  ;  but 
when  the  trunk  is  pierced  there  flows  from  it  a  sweet 
and  nourishing  milk.  It  is  at  the  rising  of  the  sun  that 
this  vegetable  foundation  is  most  abundant.  The 
negroes  and  natives  are  then  seen  hastening  from  all 
quarters,  furnished  with  large  bowls  to  receive  the 
milk,  which  grows  yellow,  and  thickens  at  its  surface. 
Some  empty  their  bowls  under  the  tree  itself,  others 
carry  the  juice  home  to  their  children," 

May  not  the  earnest  Christian  ministering  good  on 
all  sides  be  imagined  in  this  marvellous  tree?  He  is 
in  his  own  esteem  full  often  a  withered  and  dead  tree, 
but  there  is  within  him  a  living  sap,  which  wells  up  with 
blessing  to  all  around.  His  surroundings  are  all  against 
him,  the  soil  in  which  he  grows  is  hostile  to  grace,  yet 
he  not  only  lives  on,  but  luxuriates.     He  derives  noth- 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  515 

ing  from  earth,  his  fountain  is  from  above,  but  he  en- 
riches the  sons  of  earth  with  untold  blessings,  and 
though  they  often  wound  him  they  experimentally 
know  his  value.  To  him  full  many  of  the  poor  and 
needy  look  up  to  as  a  friend  in  need,  he  is  full  of  the 
milk  of  human  kindness ;  where  he  cannot  give  in 
golden  coin  he  distributes  comfort  in  sympathy  and 
words  of  cheer. 

Personal  Effort  Needed  for  Success. 

According  to  Christ's  law,  every  Christian  is  to  be 
active  in  spreading  the  faith,  which  was  delivered,  not 
to  the  ministers,  but  to  the  saints,  to  every  one  of 
them,  that  they  might  maintain  it,  and  spread  it  accord- 
ing to  the  gift  which  the  Spirit  has  given  them. 

Shall  I  venture  a  parable  ?  A  certain  band  of  war- 
like knights  had  been  exceedingly  victorious  in  all 
their  conflicts.  They  were  men  of  valor  and  of 
indomitable  courage  ;  they  had  carried  ever}^thing  be- 
fore them,  and  subdued  province  after  province  for 
their  king.  But  on  a  sudden  they  said  in  the  council- 
chamber  :  "  We  have  at  our  head  a  most  valiant  war- 
rior, one  whose  arm  is  stout  enough  to  smite  down 
fifty  of  his  adversaries  ;  would  it  not  be  better  if,  leav- 
ing a  few  such  as  he  to  go  out  to  the  fight,  the  mere 
men-at-arms,  who  make  up  the  ordinary  ranks,  were 
to  rest  at  home  ?  We  should  be  much  more  at  our 
ease ;  our  horses  would  not  so  often  be  covered  with 
foam,  nor  our  armor  be  bruised  ;  the  many  would  en- 
joy abundant  leisure,  and  great  things  would  be  done 
by  the  valiant  few." 


616  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

Now,  the  foremost  champions,  with  fear  and  trem- 
bling, undertook  the  task  and  went  to  the  conflict,  and 
they  fought  well,  as  the  rolls  of  fame  can  testify;  to 
the  best  of  their  ability  they  unhorsed  their  foes  and 
performed  great  exploits.  But  still,  from  the  very  hour 
in  which  that  scheme  was  planned  and  carried  out  no 
city  was  taken,  no  province  was  conquered.  Then  the 
knights  met  together  and  said,  "  How  is  this  ?  Our 
former  prestige  is  departed,  our  ranks  are  broken,  our 
pennons  are  trailed  in  the  dust;  what  is  the  cause 
of  it?" 

When  out  spoke  the  champion  and  said  :  "  Doubtless 
it  is  so,  and  for  a  reason  clear  and  plain.  How  did  you 
think  that  a  slender  band  could  do  the  work  of  all  the 
thousands  ?  When  you  all  went  to  the  fight,  and  every 
man  took  his  share,  we  dashed  upon  the  foe  like  an 
avalanche,  and  crushed  him  beneath  our  tramp ;  but 
now  that  you  stay  at  home,  and  put  us,  who  are  but  a 
handful,  to  fight  every  battle,  how  can  you  expect  that 
great  things  should  be  done  ?"  So  each  man  resolved 
to  put  on  his  helmet  and  his  armor  once  again,  and 
hasten  to  the  battle,  and  lo,  the  angel  of  victory  re- 
turned. 

If  we  are  to  subdue  the  earth,  every  one  of  us  must 
join  in  the  fight.  We  must  not  exempt  a  single  sol- 
dier of  the  cross,  neither  man  nor  woman,  rich  nor 
poor;  but  each  must  fight  for  the  Lord  Jesus  according 
to  his  ability,  that  his  kingdom  may  come,  and  that  his 
will  may  be  done  in  earth  even  as  it  is  in  heaven.  We 
shall  see  great  things  when  all  agree  to  this  and  put  it 
in  practice. 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  517 

I  once  heard  a  story  of  an  American,  who  declared 
he  could  fight  the  whole  British  army,  and  when  he 
was  asked  how  he  could  draw  so  long  a  bow  as  that, 
he  said  :  "  Why,  this  is  what  I  would  do.  I  know  I  am 
the  best  swordsman  in  the  world,  so  I  would  go  and 
challenge  one  Britisher,  and  kill  him  ;  and  take  another, 
and  kill  him.  Thus,"  said  he,  "  I  only  want  time  enough 
and  I  will  kill  the  whole  British  army."  It  was  a  ridic- 
ulous boast,  but  there  is  something  in  it  which  I  could 
not  bring  out  so  well  in  any  other  way.  If  we 
want  to  conquer  the  world  for  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  rest  assured  we  must  do  it  in  the  Yankee's 
fashion  ;  we  must  take  men  one  by  one,  and  these  ones 
must  be  brought  to  Christ,  or  otherwise  the  great  mass 
must  remain  untouched.  Do  not  imagine  for  a  mo- 
ment that  you  are  going  to  convert  a  nation  at  once ; 
you  are  to  convert  the  men  of  that  nation  one  by  one, 
through  the  power  of  God's  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  not  for 
you  to  suit  your  machinery,  and  arrange  your  plans 
for  the  moving  of  a  mass  as  such,  you  must  look  to  the 
salvation  of  the  units. 

Divine  Mercies. 

If  the  Lord  has  enriched  you  in  temporals,  though 
you  have  not  feared  him,  have  you  not  every  reason 
to  expect  that  he  will  do  as  well  for  you  in  spirituals, 
if  you  ask  him  to  do  so.''  You  call  at  a  friend's  house 
on  horseback  ;  he  takes  your  horse  into  the  stable 
and  is  remarkably  attentive  to  it ;  the  creature  is  well 
groomed,  well  housed,  well  fed;  you  are  not  at  all 
afraid  th3it  yozi  will  be  shut  out,  there  is  surely  a  warm 


518  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

place  in  the  parlor  for  the  rider,  where  the  horse  is  so 
well  accommodated  in  the  stable.  Now,  your  body, 
which  we  may  liken  to  the  horse,  has  enjoyed  tem- 
poral prosperity  in  abundance,  and  surely  the  Lord 
will  take  care  of  your  soul  if  you  seek  his  face  !  Let 
your  prayer  be,  "  My  God,  my  Father,  be  my  guide. 
Since  thou  hast  dealt  so  well  with  me  in  these  external 
matters,  give  me  true  riches,  give  me  to  love  thy  Son 
and  trust  in  him,  and  so  be  henceforth  thy  child." 

A  benevolent  person  gave  Mr.  Rowland  Hill  a  hun- 
dred pounds  to  dispense  to  a  poor  minister,  and,  think- 
ing it  was  too  much  to  send  him  all  at  once,  Mr.  Hill 
forwarded  five  pounds  in  a  letter,  with  simply  these 
words  within  the  envelope,  "  More  to  follow."  In  a 
few  days'  time,  the  good  man  received  another  letter 
by  the  post — and  letters  by  the  post  were  rarities  in 
those  days  ; — this  second  messenger  contained  another 
five  pounds,  with  the  same  motto,  "And  more  to  fol- 
low." A  day  or  two  after  came  a  third  and  a 
fourth,  and  still  the  same  promise,  'And  more  to  fol- 
low." Till  the  whole  sum  had  been  received  the  aston- 
ished minister  was  made  familiar  with  the  cheering 
words,  'And  more  to  follow." 

Every  blessing  that  comes  from  God  is  sent  with  the 
self-same  message,  "And  more  to  follow."  "I  forgive 
you  your  sins,  but  there's  more  to  follow."  "  I  justify 
you  in  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  but  there's  more  to 
follow."  "  I  adopt  you  into  my  family,  but  there's 
more  to  follow."  "  I  educate  you  for  heaven,  but  there's 
more  to  follow."     "I  give  you  grace  upon  grace,  but 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  619 

there's  more  to  follow."  "I  have  helped  you  even  to 
old  age,  but  there's  still  more  to  follow."  "  I  will  up- 
hold you  in  the  hour  of  death,  and  as  you  are  passing 
into  the  world  of  spirits,  my  mercy  shall  still  continue 
with  you,  and  when  you  land  in  the  world  to  come 
there  shall  still  be  more  to  follow." 

A  man  convicted  of  high  treason  and  condemned  to 
die  is  not  only  pardoned,  but  taken  into  the  favor  of 
his  sovereign.  He  is  riding  in  the  royal  carriage,  and 
on  the  road  he  sees  some  of  his  fellow- traitors  pin- 
ioned and  manacled,  led  forth  in  the  midst  of  officers 
to  die  for  the  offence  in  which  he  had  as  deep  a  hand 
as  they.  What  think  you,  will  he  not  entreat  the  gra- 
cious monarch  to  extend  his  clemency  to  his  fellow- 
rebels  ?  Will  not  the  tears  stand  in  his  eyes  as  he  ad- 
mires the  difference  which  his  sovereign's  free  mercy 
has  made  ?  Will  he  not  be  moved  with  emotions  im- 
possible to  describe,  of  mingled  joy  and  grief,  pity  and 
gratitude,  wonder  and  compassion?  Christian,  see 
your  likeness  here  drawn  to  the  life ;  you  must  surely 
feel  ready  to  fall  down  on  your  knees  and  cry,  "  Lord, 
why  dost  thou  reveal  thy  mercy  to  me  and  not  to  these  ? 
Save  them  also,  O  Lord,  for  thy  name's  sake." 

I  remember  well  being  taken  one  day  to  see  a  gor- 
geous palace  at  Venice,  where  every  piece  of  furniture 
was  made  with  most  exquisite  taste,  and  of  the  richest 
material,  where  statues  and  pictures  of  enormous  price 
abounded  on  all  hands,  and  the  floor  of  each  room  was. 
paved  with  mosaics  of  marvellous  art  and  extraordinary 
value.  As  I  was  shown  from  room  to  room,  and  allowed 


520  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

to  roam  amid  the  treasures  by  its  courteous  owner,  I  felt 
a  considerable  timidity ;  I  was  afraid  to  sit  anywhere, 
nor  did  I  hardly  dare  to  put  down  my  foot  or  rest  my 
hand  to  lean.  Everything  seemed  to  be  too  good  for 
ordinary  mortals  like  myself;  but  when  one  is  intro- 
duced into  the  gorgeous  palace  of  infinite  goodness, 
costlier  and  fairer  far,  one  gazes  wonderingly  with  rev- 
erential awe  at  the  matchless  vision.  "  How  excellent 
is  thy  loving-kindness,  O  God  !"  "I  am  not  worthy  of 
the  least  of  all  thy  benefits.  Oh  !  the  depths  of  the 
love  and  goodness  of  the  Lord." 

Self-Righteousness. 

A  ship  on  her  way  to  Australia  met  with  a  very  ter- 
rible storm  and  sprung  a  leak.  As  evils  seldom  come 
alone,  a  little  while  after  another  tempest  assailed  her. 
There  happened  to  be  a  gentleman  on  board,  of  the 
most  nervous  temperament,  whose  garrulous  tongue 
and  important  air  were  calculated  to  alarm  all  the  pas- 
sengers. When  the  storm  came  on,  the  captain,  who 
knew  what  mischief  may  be  done  by  a  suspicious  and 
talkative  individual,  managed  to  get  near  him  with  a 
view  to  rendering  him  quiet. 

The  gentleman,  addressing  the  captain,  said  in  a  tone 
of  alarm,  "What  an  awful  storm  ;  I  am  afraid  we  shall 
go  to  the  bottom,  for  I  hear  the  leak  is  very  bad." 
"Well,"  said  the  captain,  "as  you  seem  to  know  it, 
and  perhaps  the  others  do  not,  you  had  better  not 
mention  it  to  any  one,  lest  you  should  frighten  the 
passengers  or  dispirit  my  men.  Perhaps,  as  it  is  a  very 
bad  case,  you  would  lend  us  yourvaluable  help,  and 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  521 

then  we  may  possibly  get  through  it.  Would  you  have 
the  goodness  to  stand  here  and  hold  hard  on  this 
rope ;  pray  do  not  leave  it,  but  pull  as  hard  as  ever 
you  can  till  I  tell  you  to  let  it  go."  So  our  friend 
clenched  his  teeth,  and  put  his  feet  firmly  down,  and 
kept  on  holding  this  rope  with  all  his  might,  till  he 
earnestly  wished  for  a  substitute. 

The  storm  abated  ;  the  ship  was  safe,  and  our  friend 
was  released  from  his  rope-holding.  He  expected  a 
deputation  would  bring  him  the  thanks  of  all  the  pas- 
sengers, but  they  were  evidently  unconscious  of  his 
merits  ;  for  it  is  too  often  the  case  that  we  forget  our 
greatest  benefactors.  Even  the  captain  did  not  seem 
very  grateful ;  so  our  hero  ventured,  in  a  roundabout 
style,  to  hint  that  such  valuable  services  as  his,  having 
saved  the  vessel,  ought  to  be  rewarded  at  least  with 
some  few  words  of  acknowledgment ;  when  he  was 
shocked  to  hear  the  captain  say,  "  What,  sir,  do  you 
think  you  saved  the  vessel  ?  Why,  I  gave  you  that 
rope  to  hold  to  keep  you  engaged,  that  you  might  not 
be  in  such  a  feverish  state  of  alarm." 

The  self-righteous  may  here  see  how  much  men  con- 
tribute to  their  own  salvation  apart  from  Christ.  They 
think  they  can  certainly  save  themselves,  and  there  they 
stand  holding  the  rope  with  their  teeth  clenched  and 
their  feet  tightly  fixed,  while  they  are  really  doing  no 
more  than  our  officious  friend,  who  was  thus  befooled.  If 
ever  you  get  to  heaven,  you  will  find  that  everythincr 
you  did  towards  your  own  salvation,  apart  from  the 
Lord  Jesus,  was  about  as  useful  as  holding  the  rope  ; 


522  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

that,  in  fact,  the  safety  of  the  soul  Hes  somewhere  else, 
and  not  in  you  ;  and  that  what  is  wanted  with  you  is 
just  to  get  out  of  the  way,  and  let  Christ  come  in  and 
magnify  his  grace. 

Perseverance. 

A  poor  woman  had  a  supply  of  coal  laid  at  her 
door  by  a  charitable  neighbor.  A  very  little  girl  came 
out  with  a  small  fire-shovel,  and  began  to  take  up  a 
shovelful  at  a  time,  and  carry  it  to  a  sort  of  bin  in  the 
cellar.  I  said  to  the  child,  "Do  you  expect  to  get  all 
that  coal  in  with  that  litde  shovel  ?  "  She  was  quite 
confused  at  my  question,  but  her  answer  was  very 
striking,  "  Yes,  sir,  if  I  work  long  enough.  " 

Humble  worker,  make  up  for  your  want  of  ability 
by  abundant  continuance  in  well-doing,  and  your  life- 
work  will  not  be  trivial.  The  repetition  of  small 
efforts  will  effect  more  than  the  occasional  use  of  great 

talents. 

Perversion  of  Human  Faculties. 

According  to  the  fable,  the  tail  of  the  snake  obtained 
precedence  of  the  head  and  led  the  way  in  the  crea- 
ture's journeying.  Being  altogether  blind,  the  new 
guide  dashed  against  a  stone  at  one  moment,  and  the 
next  came  violently  against  a  tree,  and  at  last  drowned 
both  itself  and  the  head  in  the  river  of  death.  Here 
may  be  seen  the  unhappy  condition  of  men  in  whom 
their  baser  nature  is  dominant,  the  animal  controlling 
the  intellectual.  They  invert  the  order  of  nature,  they 
rebel  against  common  sense  ;  their  course  cannot  but 
be  unwise  and  dangerous,  and  their  end  must  be  fatal. 


EEV.  CHAELES  H.  SPURGEON.  523 

God  made  man  upright,  and  placed  his  thoughtful 
faculties  aloft  in  the  place  of  sovereignty,  but  man  in 
his  folly  permits  the  appetites  which  he  holds  in  com- 
mon with  the  brute  creation  to  reign  supreme,  while 
the  mind,  which  ought  to  rule,  is  degraded  to  meanest 

servitude. 

The  Poor  as  Hearers. 

John  Wesley  always  preferred  the  middling  and 
lower  classes  to  the  wealthy.  He  said  :  *'  If  I  might 
choose,  I  should  still,  as  I  have  done  hitherto,  preach 
the  gospel  to  the  poor."  Preaching  in  Monktown 
Church,  a  large,  old,  ruinous  building,  he  says:  "  I  sup- 
pose it  has  scarce  had  such  a  congregation  during 
this  century.  Many  of  them  were  gay,  genteel  people, 
so  I  spoke  on  the  first  elements  of  the  gospel,  but  I 
was  still  out  of  their  depth.  Oh,  how  hard  it  Is  to  be 
shallow  enough  for  a  polite  audience." 

Position  no  Barrier  to  Grace. 

Grace  makes  Itself  equally  at  home  in  the  palace  and 
the  cottage.  No  condition  necessitates  its  absence,  no 
position  precludes  its  flourishing.  One  may  compare 
it  in  its  power  to  live  and  blossom  in  all  places  to  the 
beautiful  blue-bell  of  Scotland,  of  which  the  poetess 
sings : 

No  rock  is  too  high,  no  vale  too  low, 
For  its  fragile  and  tremulous  form  to  grow. 
It  crowns  the  mountain 

With  azure  bells, 
And  decks  the  fountain 
In  forest  dells. 
It  wreaths  the  ruin  with  the  clusters  gray, 
Bowing  and  smiling  the  livelong  day. 


524  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

Eflfectual  Prayer. 

A  scholar  at  a  boarding-school  near  London  was 
remarked  for  repeating  her  lessons  well.  A  school 
companion,  who  was  idly  inclined,  said  to  her  one  day, 
"  How  is  it  that  you  always  say  your  lessons  so  per- 
fectly?" She  replied,  "I  always  pray  that  I  may  say 
my  lessons  well."  "  Do  you  ?"  replied  the  other, 
"then  I'll  pray  too."  But,  alas!  next  morning  she 
could  not  repeat  one  word  of  her  lesson.  Very  much 
confounded,  she  ran  to  her  friend.  "  I  prayed,"  said 
she,  "but  I  could  not  repeat  a  word  of  my  lesson." 
"Perhaps,"  rejoined  the  other,  "you  took  wo  pains  to 
learn  it."  "Learn  it!  learn  it!"  answered  the  first, 
"  I  did  not  learn  it  at  all.  I  didn't  know  I  needed  to 
learn  it,  when  I  prayed  that  I  might  say  it."  She 
loved  her  idleness,  poor  girl ;  and  her  praying  was 
but  a  mockery. 

Is  it  not  a  sad  thinor  that  we  should  think  it  wonder- 

o 

ful  for  God  to  hear  prayer  ?  Much  better  faith  was 
that  of  a  little  boy  in  one  of  the  schools  in  Edinburgh, 
who  had  attended  a  prayer-meeting,  and  at  last  said 
to  his  teacher  who  conducted  it,  "  Teacher,  I  wish  my 
sister  could  be  got  to  read  the  Bible  ;  she  never  reads 
it."  *'  Why,  Johnny,  should  your  sister  be  taught  to 
read  the  Bible?"  "Because  if  she  should  once  read 
it,  I  am  sure  it  would  do  her  good,  and  she  would  be 
converted  and  be  saved."  "Do  you  think  so, 
Johnny?"  "Yes,  I  do,  sir;  and  I  wish  the  next  time 
there's  a  prayer-meeting,  you  would  ask  the  people  to 
pray  for  my  sister,  that  she  may  begin  to  read  the 
Bible."     "  Well,  well,  it  shall  be  done,  John." 


BEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  ^25 

So  the  teacher  gave  out  that  a  little  boy  was  very 
anxious  that  prayer  should  be  offered  that  his  sister 
mi-ht  begin  to  read  the  Bible.  John  was  observed  to 
eet  up  and  go  out.  The  teacher  thought  it  very  rude 
of  the  boy  to  disturb  the  people  in  a  crowded  room, 
and  so  the  next  day  when  the  lad  came,  he  said.  "John. 
I  thoucrht  it  was  very  rude  of  you  to  get  up  in  the 
prayer'meeting  and  go  out.  You  ought  not  to  have 
done  so  "  ''  Oh,  sir."  said  the  boy.  ''  I  did  not  mean 
to  be  rude ;  but  I  thought  I  should  just  like  to  go  home 
and  see  my  sister  reading  her  Bible  for  the  first  time. 

Thus  we  ought  to  believe,  and  watch  with  expecta- 
tion for  answers  to  our  prayer.     Do  not  say,  "Lord 
turn  my  darkness  into  light,"   and  then  go  out  with 
your  candle  as  though  you  expected  to  find  it  dark. 
After  asking  the  Lord  to  appear  for  you,  expect  him 
to  do  so.  for  according  to  your  faith  so  be  it  unto  you. 
Sweet  Uses  of  Prayer. 
On  the  I  St  of  May,  in  the  olden  times,  according  to 
annual  custom,  many  inhabitants  of  London  went  into 
the  fields  to  bathe  their  faces  with  the  early  dew  upon 
the  grass,  under  the  idea  that  it  would  render  them 
beautiful.    Some  writers  call  the  custom  superstitious  ; 
it  may  have  been  so,  but  this  we  know,  that  to  bathe 
one's  face  every  morning  in  the  dew  of  heaven  by 
prayer  and  communion,  is  the  sure  way  to  obtain  true 
beauty  of  life  and  character. 

Prayer  pulls  the  rope  below  and  the  great  bell  rings 
above  in  the  ears  of  God.  Some  scarcely  stir  the  bell, 
for  they  pray  so  languidly;   others  give  but  an  occa- 


526  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

sional  pluck  at  the  rope  ;  but  he  who  wins  with  heaven 
is  the  man  who  grasps  the  rope  boldly  and  pulls  con- 
tinuously with  all  his  might. 

Philip  James  Spener  had  a  son  of  eminent  talents, 
but  perverse  and  extremely  vicious.  All  means  of 
love  and  persuasion  were  without  success.  The  father 
could  only  pray,  which  he  continued  to  do,  that  the 
Lord  might  yet  be  pleased  to  save  his  son  at  any  time 
and  in  any  way.  The  son  fell  sick ;  and  while  lying 
on  his  bed  in  great  distress  of  mind,  nearly  past  the 
power  of  speech  or  motion,  he  suddenly  started  up, 
clasped  his  hands,  and  exclaimed :  "  My  father's 
prayers,  like  mountains,  surround  me  !  "  Soon  after 
his  anxiety  ceased  a  sweet  peace  spread  over  his  face, 
his  malady  came  to  a  crisis,  and  the  son  was  saved  in 
body  and  soul.  He  became  another  man.  Spener  lived 
to  see  his  son  a  respectable  man,  in  public  office,  and 
happily  married.  Such  was  the  change  of  his  life  after 
his  conversion. 

Pride. 

When  men  refuse  to  hear  the  gospel  from  the  lips 
of  a  gracious  but  uneducated  preacher,  they  remind 
us  of  the  Spaniard  in  South  America,  who  suffered 
severely  from  the  gout,  but  refused  to  be  cured  by  an 
Indian.  "I  know,"  said  he,  "  that  he  is  a  famous  man, 
and  would  certainly  cure  me  ;  but  he  is  an  Indian,  and 
would  expect  to  be  treated  with  attentions  which  I 
cannot  pay  to  a  man  of  color,  and  therefore  I  prefer 
remaining  as  I  am." 

The  petty    sovereign   of  an   insignificant  tribe    in 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPUEGEON.  527 

North  America  stalks  out  of  his  hovel, -bids  the  sun 
good-morrow,  and  points  out  to  him  with  his  finger  the 
course  he  is  to  take  for  the  day.  Is  this  arrogance 
more  contemptible  than  ours  when  we  dictate  to  God 
the  course  of  his  providence,  and  summon  him  to  our 
bar  for  his  dealings  with  us?  How  ridiculous  does 
man  appear  when  he  attempts  to  argue  with  his  God ! 

Promptness  in  Doing  Good. 

Quick  must  be  the  hand  if  an  impression  is  to  be 
made  upon  the  melted  wax.  Once  let  the  wax  cool 
and  you  will  press  the  seal  in  vain.  Cold  and  hard  it 
will  be  in  a  few  moments,  therefore  let  the  work  be 
quickly  done.  When  men's  hearts  are  melted  under 
the  preaching  of  the  Word,  or  by  sickness,  or  the  loss 
of  friends,  believers  should  be  very  eager  to  stamp  the 
truth  upon  the  prepared  mind.  Such  opportunities 
are  to  be  seized  with  holy  eagerness.  Reader,  do  you 
know  of  such  ?  If  you  be  a  lover  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
hasten  with  the  seal  before  the  wax  is  cool. 

The  Vanity  of  Mere  Profession. 

Forget  not  that  the  pretence  of  religion  without  the 
power  of  it  is  one  of  the  most  comfortless  things  in  the 
world.  It  is  like  a  man  who  should  call  his  servant, 
and  say  to  him,  "  Is  the  larder  well  stored?"  ''There 
is  nothing,  sir,  not  even  a  mouldy  crust,"  "  Let  the 
cloth  be  laid,"  saith  he  ;  and  it  is  laid,  and  all  the  appur- 
tenances thereof.  "And  now,"  he  says,  "I  will  sit 
down  to  my  meal  and  you  shall  wait  upon  me."  The 
empty  dishes  are  brought  in  proper  course ;  from  in- 


528  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

visible  joints  he  cuts  imperceptible  slices,  and  from  the 
empty  plates  he  lifts  upon  his  fork  mouthfuls  of  noth- 
ingness and  dainty  morsels  of  vacuum.  There,  the 
cloth  can  be  removed,  the  feaster  has  finished  the  at- 
mospheric banquet,  and  rises  from  the  table  free  from 
any  charge  of  immoderate  eating. 

Now,  this  may  be  a  very  pleasant  operation  for  once, 
although  its  charms  require  a  very  poetic  and  imagina- 
tive mind  to  appreciate  them  ;  but  if  continued  several 
days,  this  unsubstantial  festival  would,  I  conceive,  be- 
come somewhat  undesirable  and  cheerless,  and  in 
the  end  the  guest  might  perish  amid  his  empty 
platters.  Yet  such  must  be  the  life  of  the  man  who 
professes  to  feed  on  the  bread  of  heaven  and  knows 
not  its  sustaining  virtues,  who  boasts  of  drinking  the 
water  of  life  and  has  never  sipped  that  heavenly 
stream. 

Artificial  piety,  like  flowers  in  wax,  droops  not  in  the 
hour  of  drought,  but  the  fair  lily  of  true  grace  hangs 
its  head  if  the  rain  of  heaven  be  denied.  True  faith, 
like  fire,  has  its  attendant  smoke  of  unbelief,  but  pre- 
sumption, like  a  painted  flame,  is  all  brightness.  Like 
ships  at  sea,  true  Christians  have  storms ;  but  mere 
professors,  like  pictured  galleys  on  the  canvas,  ride  on 
an  unruffled  ocean.  Life  has  its  changes  ;  '  tis  death 
that  abideth  the  same.  Life  has  muscle,  sinew,  brain, 
spirit,  and  these  vary  in  physical  condition  ;  but  the 
petrified  limbs  of  death  lie  still  until  the  worm  has 
devoured  the  carcass.  Life  weeps  as  well  as  smiles, 
but  the  ghastly  grin  of  death  relaxes  not  with  anxiety 
or  fear. 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  529 

Moab  hath  no  changes  ;  he  is  "  settled  upon  his  lees; 
he  has  not  been  emptied  from  vessel  to  vessel."  "  They 
are  not  in  trouble  as  other  men,  neither  are  they  plagued 
like  other  men."  As  no  weather  can  give  ague  to 
marble,  as  no  variation  of  temperature  can  bring  fever 
to  iron,  so  to  some  men  the  events  of  life,  the  tempta- 
tions of  prosperity,  or  the  trials  of  adversity  bring  lit- 
tle chanee.  Yet  were  it  better  to  ebb  and  flow  forever 
like  the  sea,  than  rot  in  endless  stagnation  of  false 
peace.  Better  to  be  hunted  by  the  hounds  of  hell,  and 
so  driven  to  the  shelter  of  the  cross,  than  to  dwell  at 
ease  and  be  fattening  for  the  devil's  shambles. 

Providence,  Good  and  Kind. 

An  old  authority  assures  us  that  "the  Jews  fancy, 
concerning  the  cloud  that  conducted  Israel  through  the 
wilderness,  that  it  did  not  only  show  them  the  way,  but 
also  plane  it ;  that  it  did  not  only  lead  them  in  the  way 
which  they  must  go,  but  also  fit  the  way  for  them  to  go 
upon  it ;  that  it  cleared  all  the  mountains  and  smothered 
all  the  rocks  ;  that  it  cleared  all  the  bushes  and  removed 
all  the  rubs." 

What  is  probably  a  mere  legend  as  to  the  type  is 
abundantly  true  of  the  providence  of  God,  which  it  so 
accurately  represents.  Our  gracious  God  not  only 
leads  us  in  the  way  of  mercy,  but  he  prepares  our  path 
before  us,  providing  for  all  our  wants  even  before  they 
occur. 

That  image  in  Lowell's  poem  of  "The  Changeling" 
fascinates  me.  It  is  so  much  what  I  am  and  ever  wish 
to  be : 

34 


630  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

I  feel  as  weak  as  a  violet 
Alone  'neath  the  awful  sky. 

Unable  to  defend  myself  and  apparendy  undefended, 
yet  guarded  by  omnipotent  love,  I  would  fain  pour  out 
a  perfume  of  praise  to  the  Great  Invisible  who  watches 
over  me,  and  would  feel  that  under  the  care  of  Provi- 
dence I  may  claim  the  sweetness  of  the  poet's  next 
stanza : 

As  weak,  yet  as  trustful  also  ; 

For  the  whole  year  long  I  see 
All  the  wonders  of  faithful  nature 

Still  worked  for  the  love  of  me. 
Winds  wander  and  dews  drip  earthward, 

Rains  fall,  suns  rise  and  set, 
Earth  whirls,  and  all  but  to  prosper 

A  poor  little  violet. 

Suppose  the  mole  should  cry,  "  How  I  could  have 
honored  the  Creator  had  I  been  allowed  to  fly !  "  it 
would  be  very  foolish,  for  a  mole  flying  would  be  a 
most  ridiculous  object ;  while  a.  mole  fashioning  its 
tunnels  and  casting  up  its  castles,  is  viewed  with  ad- 
miring wonder  by  the  naturalist,  who  perceives  its  re- 
markable suitability  to  its  sphere.  The  fish  of  the  sea 
might  say,  "  How  could  I  display  the  wisdom  of  God 
if  I  could  sing,  or  mount  a  tree,  like  a  bird ; "  but  a 
dolphin  in  a  tree  would  be  a  very  grotesque  affair,  and 
there  would  be  no  wisdom  of  God  to  admire  in  trouts 
singing  in  the  groves ;  but  when  the  fish  cuts  the  wave 
with  agile  fin,  all  who  have  observed  it  say  how  won- 
derfully it  is  adapted  to  its  habitat,  how  exactly  its 
every  bone  is  fitted  for  its  mode  of  life. 

Brother,  it  is  just  so  with  you.     If  you  begin  to  say, 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  531 

"I  cannot  glorify  God  where  I  am,  and  as  I  am,"  I 
answer,  neither  could  you  anywhere  if  not  where  you 
are.  Providence,  which  arranged  your  surroundings, 
appointed  them  so  that,  all  things  being  considered, 
you  are  in  the  posidon  in  which  you  can  best  display 
the  wisdom  and  the  grace  of  God. 
Unity  of  Purpose. 

It  is  said  of  Thomas  Pett,  the  miser,  that  his  pulse 
rose  and  fell  with  the  funds.  He  never  lay  down  or 
rose  that  he  did  not  bless  the  inventor  of  compound 
interest.  His  one  gloomy  apartment  was  never 
brightened  with  coal,  candle,  or  the  countenance  of  a 
visitor,  and  he  never  ate  a  morsel  at  his  own  expense. 
Of  course  he  made  money,  for  he  gave  himself  wholly 
to  it ;  and  we  ought  not  to  forget  that  the  same  single- 
mindedness  and  self-denial  would  make  Christians 
rich  towards  God.  What  is  wanted  in  the  service  of 
Christ,  is  the  same  unity  of  purpose  which  has  ruled 
all  men  who  have  won  the  object  for  which  they  lived. 
He  who  makes  God's  glory  the  one  only  aim  before 
which  all  other  things  bow  themselves,  is  the  man  to 
bring  honor  to  his  Lord. 

When  Audubon,  the  celebrated  American  ornithol- 
ogist, was  in  Paris,  he  grew  quite  weary  of  it,  and  his 
diary  does  not  contain  a  cheerful  word  about  that  gay 
city  until  he  writes  :  "  The  stock-pigeon  roosts  in  the 
trees  of  the  garden  of  the  Tuileries  in  great  numbers; 
blackbirds  also  do  the  same,  and  are  extremely  noisy 
before  dark ;  some  few  rooks  and  magpies  are  seen 
there  also.      In  the  Jardin,  or  walks  of   the  Palais 


532  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

Royal,  common  sparrows  are  prodigiously  plentiful. 
The  mountain  finch  passes  in  scattered  numbers  over 
Paris  at  this  season,  going  northerly."  So  also  when 
in  London,  the  great  naturalist  was  quite  out  of  his 
element,  and  only  seemed  pleased  when  a  flight  of 
wildfowl  passed  over  the  city.  Here  was  the  secret 
of  his  success — his  complete  absorption  in  his  one 
study — birds  alone  had  charms  for  him. 

We  who  would  attain  to  eminence  in  the  service  of 
Christ  must  let  the  love  of  souls,  in  an  equal  way, 
master  and  engross  us.  When  writing  a  paper  for 
the  Natural  History  Society  upon  the  habits  of  the 
wild  pigeon,  Audubon  says :  "  So  absorbed  was  my 
whole  soul  and  spirit  in  the  work,  that  I  felt  as  if  I 
were  in  the  woods  of  America,  among  the  pigeons, 
and  my  ears  were  filled  with  the  sound  of  their  rustling 
wings."  We  should  all  write,  speak  and  preach  for 
cur  Lord  Jesus  far  more  powerfully  if  our  love  to  the 
Lord  wee  a  passion  so  dominant  as  to  make  the  great 
realities  of  eicnity  vividly  real  and  supremely  com- 
manding in  our  rr.inds. 

Evils  of  Prosperity. 

Too  long  a  period  of  fair  weather  in  the  Italian  val- 
leys creates  such  a  superabundance  of  dust  that  the 
traveller  sighs  for  a  shower.  He  is  smothered,  his 
clothes  are  white,  his  eyes  smart,  the  grit  even  grates 
between  his  teeth  and  finds  its  way  down  his  throat; 
welcome  are  the  rain  clouds,  as  they  promise  to  abate 
the  nuisance.  Prosperity  long  continued  breeds  a 
plague  of  dust  even  more  injurious,  for  it  almost  blinds 


BEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  533 

the  spirit  and  insinuates  itself  into  the  soul ;  a  shower 
or  two  of  grief  proves  a  mighty  blessing,  for  it  deprives 
the  things  of  earth  somewhat  of  their  smothering  power. 
A  Christian  making  money  fast  is  just  a  man  in  a 
cloud  of  dust;  it  will  fill  his  eyes  if  he  be  not  careful. 
A  Christian  full  of  worldly  care  is  in  the  same  condition, 
and  had  need  look  to  it  lest  he  be  choked  with  earth. 
Afflictions  might  almost  be  prayed  for  if  we  never  had 
them,  even  as  in  long  stretches  of  fair  weather  men  beg 
for  rain  to  lay  the  dust. 

Procrastination  Deprecated. 

Do  any  of  you  remember  the  loss  of  the  vessel  called 
the  "  Central  America  ?"  She  was  in  a  bad  state,  had 
sprung  a  leak  and  was  going  down,  and  she  therefore 
hoisted  a  signal  of  distress.  A  ship  came  close  to  her, 
the  captain  of  which  asked,  through  the  trumpet, 
''What  is  amiss?"  "We  are  in  bad  repair,  and  are 
going  down  ;  lie  by  till  morning,"  was  the  answer.  But 
the  captain  oft  board  the  rescue-ship  said,  "Let  me 
take  your  passengers  on  board  now."  "  Lie  by  till 
morning,"  was  the  message  which  came  back.  Once 
again  the  captain  cried,  "  You  had  better  let  me  take 
your  passengers  on  board  now."  "  Lie  by  till  morn- 
ing," was  the  reply  which  sounded  through  the  trum- 
pet. About  an  hour-and-a-half  after,  the  lights  were 
missing,  and  though  no  sound  was  heard,  she  and  all 
on  board  had  gone  down  to  the  fathomless  abyss.  O 
unconverted  friends,  for  God's  sake,  do  not  say,  "Lie 
by  till  morning."  To-day,  even  to-day,  hear  ye  the 
voice  of  God. 


534  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

Resignation  Sustained  by  Faith. 

The  habit  of  resignation  is  the  root  of  peace.  A 
godly  child  had  a  ring  given  him  by  his  mother,  and 
he  greatly  prized  it,  but  on  a  sudden  he  unhappily  lost 
his  ring,  and  he  cried  bitterly.  Recollecting  himself, 
he  stepped  aside  and  prayed  ;  after  which  his  sister 
laughingly  said  to  him  :  "  Brother,  what  is  the  good  of 
praying  about  a  ring — will  praying  bring  back  your 
ring?"  "No,  sister,"  said  he,  "perhaps  not,  but  pray- 
ing has  done  this  for  me,  it  has  made  me  quite  willing 
to  do  without  the  ring,  if  it  is  God's  will ;  and  is  not 
that  almost  as  good  as  having  it  ?"  Thus  faith  quiets 
us  by  resignation,  as  a  babe  is  hushed  in  his  mother's 
bosom.  Faith  makes  us  quite  willing  to  do  without 
the  mercy  which  once  we  prized  ;  and  when  the  heart 
is  content  to  be  without  the  outward  blessing,  it  is  as 
happy  as  it  would  be  with  it ;  for  it  is  at  rest. 

A  lady  who  had  lost  a  beloved  child,  was  so  op- 
pressed with  grief,  that  she  even  secluded  herself  from 
the  society  of  her  own  family,  and  kept  herself  locked 
in  her  chamber,  but  was  at  length  prevailed  on  by  her 
husband  to  come  down  stairs  and  take  a  walk  in  the 
garden.  While  there,  she  stooped  to  pluck  a  flower, 
but  her  husband  appeared  as  though  he  would  hinder 
her.  She  plaintively  said,  "  What !  deny  me  a  flower !" 
He  replied,  "You  have  denied  God  your  flower,  and 
surely  you  ought  not  to  think  it  hard,  in  me  to  deny 
you  mine."  The  lady  suitably  felt  the  gentle  reproof, 
and  had  reason  to  say,  "  A  word  spoken  in  season, 
how  good  is  it!" 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  535 

Resolution  Overcoming  Difficulties. 

Look  at  that  perpendicular  mountain  side — why,  it 
is  worse  than  perpendicular,  it  overhangs  the  lake  ; 
yet  the  bold  Tyrolese  have  carried  a  road  right  along 
the  bald  face  of  the  rock,  by  blasting  out  a  gallery,  or, 
as  it  looks  from  below,  by  chiselling  out  a  groove. 
One  would  have  readily  written  down  that  feat  as  im- 
possible, and  yet  the  road  is  made,  and  we  have  trav- 
elled it  from  Riva  into  the  Tyrol,  the  Lago  Garda  lying 
far  below  our  feet.  Henceforth  that  road  shall  be  to 
us  a  cheering  memory  when  our  task  is  more  than 
usually  difficult.  If  anything  oicght  to  be  done  it  shall 
be  done.  With  God  in  front,  we  shall  soon  leave  diffi- 
culties in  the  rear,  transformed  into  memorials  of 
victory. 

How  to  be  Had  in  Remembrance. 

Sir  Bernard  Burke  thus  touchingly  writes  in  his 
Vicissitudes  of  Families:  ''In  1850  a  pedigree  research 
caused  me  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  village  of  Fyndern, 
about  five  miles  southwest  of  Derby.  I  sought  for  the 
ancient  hall.  Not  a  stone  remained  to  tell  where  it 
had  stood  !  I  entered  the  church.  Not  a  single  record 
of  a  Finderne  was  there  !  I  accosted  a  villager,  hoping 
to  glean  some  stray  traditions  of  the  Findernes. 
'Findernes!'  said  he,  'we  have  no  Findernes  here, 
but  we  have  something  that  once  belonged  to  them  ; 
we  have  Findernes  flowers.^  'Show  them  me,' I 
replied  ;  and  the  old  man  led  me  into  a  field  which  still 
retained  faint  traces  of  terraces  and  foundations. 
'There,'  said  he,  pointing  to  a  bank  of '  garden  flowers 


536  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

grown  wild,'  *  there  are  the  Findernes'  flowers,  brought 
by  Sir  Geoffrey  from  the  Holy  Land,  and  do  what  we 
will,  they  will  never  die  !'  " 

So  be  it  with  each  of  us.  Should  our  names  perish, 
may  the  truths  we  taught,  the  virtues  we  cultivated, 
the  good  works  we  initiated,  live  on  and  blossom  with 
undying  energy- — 

When  time  his  withering  hand  hath  laid 
On  battlement  and  tower. 

Dangers  of  Riches. 

Crossing  the  Col  D'Obbia,  the  mule  laden  with  our 
luggage  sank  in  the  snow,  nor  could  it  be  recovered 
until  its  load  was  removed  ;  then,  but  not  till  then,  it 
scrambled  out  of  the  hole  it  had  made  and  pursued 
its  journey.  It  reminded  us  of  mariners  casting 
out  the  lading  into  the  sea  to  save  the  vessel,  and  we 
are  led  to  m.editate  upon  the  dangers  of  Christians 
heavily  laden  with  earthly  possessions,  and  the 
wise  way  in  which  the  gracious  Father  unloads  them 
by  their  losses,  that  they  may  be  enabled  to  pursue 
their  journey  to  heaven,  and  no  longer  sink  in  the 
snow  of  carnal-mindedness. 

Do  not  be  over-anxious  about  riches.  Get  as  much 
of  true  wisdom  and  goodness  as  you  can  ;  but  be  satis- 
fied with  a  very  moderate  portion  of  this  world's  good. 
Riches  may  prove  a  curse  as  well  as  a  blessing. 

I  was  walking  through  an  orchard,  looking  about 
me,  when  I  saw  a  low  tree  laden  more  heavily  with 
fruit  than  the  rest.     On  a  nearer  examination,  it  ap- 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  537 

peared  that  the  tree  had  been  dragged  to  the  very 
earth,  and  broken  by  the  weight  of  its  treasures. 
"  Oh  !  "  said  I,  gazing  on  the  tree,  "  here  Hes  one  who 
has  been  ruined  by  his  riches." 

In  another  part  of  my  walk,  I  came  up  with  a  shep- 
herd, who  was  lamenting  the  loss  of  a  sheep  that  lay 
mangled  and  dead  at  his  feet.  On  inquiry  about  the 
matter,  he  told  me  that  a  strange  dog  had  attacked 
the  flock,  that  the  rest  of  the  sheep  had  got  away 
through  a  hole  in  the  hedge,  but  that  the  ram  now  dead 
had  more  wool  on  his  back  than  the  rest,  and  the  thorns 
of  the  hedge  held  him  fast  and  the  dog  worried  him. 
"Here  is  another,''  said  I,  "ruined  by  his  riches." 

At  the  close  of  my  ramble,  I  met  a  man  hobbling 
along  on  two  wooden  legs,  leaning  on  two  sticks.  "  Tell 
me, "  said  I,  "my  poor  fellow,  how  you  came  to  lose 
your  legs?"  "Why,  sir,"  said  he,  "in  my  younger 
days  I  was  a  soldier.  With  a  few  comrades  I  attacked 
a  party  of  the  enemy,  and  overcame  them,  and  we  be- 
gan to  load  ourselves  with  spoil.  My  comrades  were 
satisfied  with  little,  but  I  burdened  myself  with  as  much 
as  I  could  carry.  We  were  pursued  ;  my  companions 
escaped,  but  I  was  overtaken  and  so  cruelly  wounded, 
that  I  only  saved  my  life  afterwards  by  losing  my  legs. 
It  was  a  bad  affair,  sir ;  but  it  is  too  late  to  repent  of  it 
now."  "Ah,  friend, "  thought  I,  "like  the  fruit  tree 
and  the  mangled  sheep,  you  may  date  your  downfall  to 
your  possessions.     It  was  your  riches  that  ruined  you." 

When  I  see  so  many  rich  people,  as  I  do,  caring  so 
much  for  their  bodies,  and  so  little  for  their  souls,  I  pity 


538  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

them  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  and  sometimes 
think  there  are  as  many  ruined  by  riches  as  by  poverty. 
"They  that  will  be  rich  fall  into  temptation  and  a 
snare,  and  into  many  foolish  and  hurtful  lusts,  which 
drown  men  in  destruction  and  perdition."  The  prayer 
will  suit  you,  perhaps,  as  well  as  it  does  me,  "  Give  me 
neither  poverty  nor  riches;  feed  me  with  food  conven- 
ient for  me  :  lest  I  be  full,  and  deny  thee,  and  say,  Who 
is  the  Lord  ?  or  lest  I  be  poor,  and  steal,  and  take  the 
nan>e  of  my  God  in  vain." 

Reward  Sometimes  Immediate, 

Occasionally  a  benevolent  action  wrought  in  faith 
brings  with  it  an  instantaneous  recompense  in  kind ; 
therein  Providence  is  seen  as  smiling  upon  the  deed. 
The  late  John  Andrew  Jones,  a  poor  Baptist  minister, 
whilst  walking  in  Cheapside,  was  appealed  to  by  some 
one  he  knew  for  help.  He  had  but  a  shilling  in  the 
world,  and  poised  it  in  his  mind,  to  give  or  not  to  give  ? 
The  greater  distress  of  his  acquaintance  prevailed,  and 
he  gave  his  all,  walking  away  with  a  sweet  remem- 
brance of  the  promise,  "  He  that  hath  pity  on  the  poor, 
lendeth  unto  the  Lord,  and  that  which  he  hath  given, 
will  he  pay  him  again."  He  had  not  gone  a  hundred 
yards  further  before  he  met  a  gentleman  who  said, 
"Ah,  Mr.  Jones,  I  am  glad  to  see  you.  I  have  had 
this  sovereign  in  my  waistcoat  pocket  this  week  past 
for  some  poor  minister,  and  you  may  as  well  have  it." 
Mr.  Jones  was  wont  to  add,  when  telling  the  story,  "If 
I  had  not  stopped  to  give  relief  I  should  have  missed 
the  gentleman  and  the  sovereign  too." 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  539 

Resurrection. 

The  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  is  full  of  joy  to  the 
bereaved.  It  clothes  the  grave  with  flowers  and 
wreathes  the  tomb  with  unfading  laurel.  The  sepul- 
chre shines  with  a  light  brighter  than  the  sun,  and 
death  grows  fair,  as  we  say  in  full  assurance  of  faith : 
"I  know  that  my  brother  shall  rise  again."  Rent  from 
the  ignoble  shell  the  pearl  is  gone  to  deck  the  crown 
of  the  Prince  of  Peace ;  buried  beneath  the  sod  the 
seed  is  preparing  to  bloom  in  the  King's  garden. 
Altering  a  word  or  two  of  Beattie's  verse  we  may  even 
now  find  ourselves  singing: 

'Tis  night,  and  the  landscape  is  lovely  no  more  ; 

Yet  ye  beautiful  woodlands,  I  mourn  not  for  you  ; 
j^or  morn  is  approaching  your  charms  to  restore. 

Perfumed  with  fresh  fragrance.and  glittering  with  dew. 
Nor  yet  for  the  ravage  of  winter  I  mourn  ; 

Kind  nature  the  embryo  blossom  will  save  ; 
The  spring  shall  yet  visit  the  mouldering  urn  ; 

The  day  shall  yet  dawn  on  the  night  of  the  grave. 

Safety  of  Feeble  Saints. 

You  can  buy  a  complete  set  of  all  the  flowers  of  the 
Alpine  district  at  the  hotel  near  the  foot  of  the  Rosen- 
laui  glacier,  very  neatly  pressed  and  enclosed  in  cases. 
Some  of  the  flowers  are  very  common,  but  they  must 
be  included,  or  the  flora  would  not  be  completely  rep- 
resented. The  botanist  is  as  careful  to  see  that  the 
common  ones  are  there,  as  he  is  to  note  that  the  rarer 
specimens  are  not  excluded.  Our  blessed  Lord  will 
be  sure  to  make  a  perfect  collection  of  all  the  flowers 
of  his  field,  and  even  the  ordinary  believer,  the  every- 


540  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

day  worker,  the  common  convert,  will  not  be  forgotten. 
To  Jesus'  eye,  there  is  beauty  in  all  his  plants,  and 
each  one  is  needed  to  perfect  the  flora  of  Paradise. 
May  I  be  found  among  his  flowers,  if  only  as  one  out 
of  myriad  daisies,  who  with  sweet  simplicity  shall  look 
jup  and  wonder  at  his  love  forever. 

Saints  Preserve  the  World, 

We  saw  in  Venice  a  picture  of  St.  Mark  and  other 
holy  champions  delivering  the  fair  city  from  the  devil, 
who  had  resolved  to  raise  a  great  storm  in  the  Adri- 
atic, flood  the  lagunes,  and  drown  the  inhabitants  of 
the  *' bride  of  the  sea."  All  mere  legend  and  lie,  but 
for  all  that  capable  of  mirroring  the  truth  that  the  in- 
tercession of  saints  and  God's  peculiar  regard  for  them 
have  oftentimes  delivered  the  church. 

A  piece  of  plate  may  become  battered  and  scratched, 
so  that  its  beauty  is  hopelessly  gone,  but  it  loses  not 
its  real  worth ;  put  it  into  the  scale,  and  its  weight  and 
not  its  fashion  shall  be  the  estimate  of  its  precious- 
ness ;  throw  it  into  the  melting-pot  and  its  purity  will 
show  its  actual  value.  So  there  are  many  outward 
circumstances  which  may  spoil  the  public  repute  in 
which  a  Christian  is  held,  but  his  essential  preciousness 
remains  unchanged,  God  values  him  at  as  high  a  rate 
as  ever.  His  unerring  balance  and  crucible  are  not 
guided  by  appearances.  How  content  may  we  be  to 
be  vile  in  the  sight  of  men  if  we  are  accepted  of  the 
Lord! 

In  the  Cathedral  of  St,  Mark,  in  Venice — a  marvel- 
lous building,  lustrous  with  an  Oriental  splendor  far 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  541 

beyond  description — there  are  pillars  said  to  have  been 
brought  from  Solomon's  Temple ;  these  are  of  ala- 
baster, a  substance  firm  and  durable  as  granite,  and 
yet  transparent,  so  that  the  light  glows  through  them. 
Behold  an  emblem  of  what  all  true  pillars  of  the 
church  should  be — firm  in  their  faith,  and  transparent 
in  their  character ;  men  of  simple  mould,  ignorant  of 
tortuous  and  deceptive  ways,  and  yet  men  of  strong 
will,  not  readily  to  be  led  aside,  or  bent  from  their  up- 
rightness. A  few  such  alabaster  men  we  know ;  may 
the  great  Master-builder  place  more  of  them  in  his 
temple ! 

Salvation  in  Christ. 

We  lately  read  in  the  papers  an  illustration  of  the 
way  of  salvation.  A  man  had  been  condemned  in  a 
Spanish  court  to  be  shot,  but  being  an  American  citizen 
and  also  of  English  birth,  the  consuls  of  the  two  coun- 
tries interposed,  and  declared  that  the  Spanish  author- 
ities had  no  power  to  put  him  to  death.  What  did 
they  do  to  secure  his  life,  when  their  protest  was  not 
sufficient  ?  They  wrapped  him  up  in  their  flags,  they 
covered  him  with  the  Stars  and  Stripes  and  the  Union 
Jack,  and  defied  the  executioners.  **  Now  fire  a  shot 
if  you  dare,  for  if  you  do  so,  you  defy  the  nations  re- 
presented by  those  flags,  and  you  will  bring  the  powers 
of  those  two  great  empires  upon  you." 

There  stood  the  man,  and  before  him  the  soldiery, 
and  though  a  single  shot  might  have  ended  his  life, 
yet  he  was  as  invulnerable  as  though  encased  in  triple 
steel.     Even  so  Jesus  Christ  has  taken  my  poor  guilty 


542  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

soul  ever  since  I  believed  in  him,  and  has  wrapped 
around  me  the  blood-red  flag  of  his  atoning  sacrifice, 
and  before  God  can  destroy  me  or  any  other  soul  that 
is  wrapped  in  the  atonement,  he  must  insult  his  Son, 
and  dishonor  his  sacrifice,  and  that  he  will  never  do, 
blessed  be  His  name. 

It  is  said  that  some  years  ago  a  vessel  sailing  on  the 
northern  coast  of  the  South  American  continent,  was 
observed  to  make  signals  of  distress.  When  hailed  by 
another  vessel,  they  reported  themselves  as  "  Dying 
for  water!"  "Dip  it  up  then,"  was  the  response^ 
"you  are  in  the  mouth  of  the  Amazon  river."  There 
was  fresh  water  all  around  them,  and  they  had  nothing 
to  do  but  to  dip  it  up,  and  yet  they  were  dying  of  thirst 
because  they  thought  themselves  to  be  surrounded  by 
the  salt  sea.  tlow  often  are  men  ignorant  of  their 
mercies  ?  How  sad  that  they  should  perish  for  want  of 
knowledge!  Jesus  is  near  the  seeker  even  when  he  is 
tossed  upon  oceans  of  doubt.  The  sinner  has  but  to 
stoop  down  and  drink  and  live  ;  and  yet  he  is  ready  to 
perish,  as  if  salvation  were  hard  to  find. 

I  have  heard  of  a  certain  divine,  that  he  used 
always  to  carry  about  with  him  a  little  book.  This 
tiny  volume  had  only  three  leaves  in  it ;  and  truth  to 
tell,  it  contained  not  a  single  word.  The  first  was  a 
leaf  of  black  paper,  black  as  jet ;  the  next  was  a  leaf 
of  red-scarlet ;  and  the  last  was  a  leaf  of  white,  with- 
out spot.  Day  by  day  he  would  look  upon  this  singu- 
lar book,  and  at  last  he  told  the  secret  of  what  it 
meant. 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  543 

He  said,  "  Here  is  the  black  leaf,  that  is  my  sin,  and 
the  wrath  of  God  which  my  sin  deserves ;  I  look,  and 
look,  and  think  it  is  not  black  enough  to  represent 
my  guilt,  though  it  is  as  black  as  black  can  be.  The 
red  leaf  reminds  me  of  the  atoning  sacrifice,  and  the 
precious  blood  ;  and  I  delight  to  look  at  it,  and  weep, 
and  look  again.  The  white  leaf  represents  my  soul, 
as  it  is  washed  in  Jesus'  blood  and  made  white  as 
snow."  The  little  book  was  fuller  of  meaning  than 
many  a  learned  folio. 

The    Scriptures. 

There  is  gold  in  the  rocks  which  fringe  the  Pass  of 
the  Spliigen,  gold  even  in  the  stones  which  mend  the 
roads,  but  there  is  too  little  of  it  to  be  worth  extracting. 
Alas,  how  like  too  many  books  and  sermons  !  Not  so 
the  Scriptures,  they  are  much  fine  gold ;  their  very 
dust  is  precious. 

Lord  Bacon  tells  of  a  certain  bishop  who  used  to 
bathe  regularly  twice  every  day,  and  on  being  asked 
why  he  bathed  thus  often  replied,  "  Because  I  cannot 
conveniently  do  it  three  times."  If  those  who  loved  the 
Scriptures  were  asked  why  they  read  the  Bible  so  often, 
they  might  honestly  reply,  "Because  we  cannot  find 
time  to  read  it  oftener."  The  appetite  for  the  Word 
grows  on  that  which  it  feeds  on.  We  would  say  with 
Thomas  a  Kempis,  "  I  would  be  always  in  a  nook  with 
a  book." 

The  late  William  Jay,  in  his  "  Practical  Illustrations 
of  Character,"  says,  "  What  a  difference  must  a  Chris- 
tian and  a  minister  feel,  between  the  trammels  of  some 


544  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

systems  of  divinity  and  the  advantage  of  Scripture 
freedom,  the  glorious  Hberty  of  the  sons  of  God.  The 
one  is  the  horse  standing  in  the  street  in  harness,  feed- 
ing indeed,  but  on  the  contents  of  a  bag  tossed  up 
and  down ;  the  other,  the  same  animal  in  a  large,  fine 
meadow  where  he  lies  down  in  green  pastures  and 
beside  the  still  waters. 

Schools. 

By  order  of  Government  the  roads  in  Prussia  are 
lined  on  each  side  with  fruit  trees.  Riding  once,  early 
in  September,  from  Berlin  to  Halle,  an  American 
traveller  noticed  that  some  of  the  trees  had  a  wisp  of 
straw  attached  to  them.  He  inquired  of  the  coach- 
man what  it  meant.  He  replied  that  those  trees  bore 
choice  fruits,  and  the  straw  was  a  notice  to  the  public 
not  to  take  fruit  from  those  trees  without  special  per- 
mission. "  I  fear,"  said  the  traveller,  '*  that  in  my  coun- 
try such  a  notice  would  be  but  an  invitation  to  roguish 
boys  to  attack  those  very  trees."  "  Haben  sie  keine 
Schulen  ?  "  ("  Have  you  no  schools  ?  ")  was  his  signifi- 
cant rejoinder.  Rest  assured,  dear  reader,  that  next 
to  godliness,  education  is  the  mainstay  of  order. 

Watchfulness  over  Self. 

An  old  writer,  speaking  of  men  as  stewards  of  God, 
urges  upon  them  as  wise  traders  and  servants  to  look 
to  themselves  carefully,  and  take  care  of  four  houses 
which  are  under  their  charge,  i. — Their  warehouse^ 
or  heart  and  memory,  wherein  they  should  store  up 
precious  things,  holy  affections,  grateful  remembrances, 


EEV.  CHAELES  H.  SPUKGEON.  545 

celestial  preparations,  etc.  Without  a  good  stock  in 
the  warehouse  there  can  be  no  good  trade.  2. — Their 
workhouse,  or  their  actions,  wherein  they  retail  to 
others,  for  God's  glory,  the  grace  entrusted  to  them ; 
teaching  the  ignorant,  comforting  the  poor,  visiting 
the  sick,  etc.  We  must  be  active,  or  we  cannot  be 
acceptable  servants.  3. — Their  clock-house,  meaning 
their  speech,  which  must  always,  like  a  well-timed  bell, 
speak  the  truth  accurately ;  and  meaning  also  their 
observance  of  time,  redeeming  it  by  promptly  doing 
the  duties  of  every  hour.  We  must  use  time  well,  or 
our  spiritual  gains  will  be  small.  4. — Their  counting- 
house,  or  their  conscience,  which  is  to  be  scrupulously 
watched,  and  no  false  reckonings  allowed,  lest  we 
deceive  our  own  souls.  The  Master  will  call  for  our 
accounts :  let  us  keep  them  honestly. 

Self-Dissatisfaction; 

"During  the  nine  years  that  I  was  his  wife,"  says 
the  widow  of  the  great  artist  Opie,  'T  never  saw  him 
satisfied  with  one  of  his  productions,  and  often,  very 
often,  have  I  seen  him  enter  my  sitting-room,  and 
throwing  himself  in  an  agony  of  despondence  on  the 
sofa,  exclaim,  '  I  never,  never  shall  be  a  painter  as  long 
as  I  live  !' "  It  was  a  noble  despair,  such  as  is  never 
felt  by  the  self-complacent  daubers  of  signboards,  and 
it  bore  the  panting  aspirant  up  to  one  of  the  highest 
niches  in  the  artistic  annals  of  his  country.  The  self- 
same dissatisfaction  with  present  attainments  is  a 
potent  force  to  bear  the  Christian  onward  to  the  most 
eminent  degree  of  spirituality  and  holiness. 
35 


546  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

Self-Cxamination. 

A  Highlander  who  purchased  a  barometer  under  a 
mistaken  idea  of  its  purpose,  complained  that  he  could 
not  see  that  it  had  made  any  improvement  in  the 
weather ;  and  those  who  use  signs  and  evidences  for 
an  intent  which  they  will  never  answer,  will  be  sure 
to  complain  that  their  faith  is  not  increased,  though 
they  are  always  practising  self-examination.  Yet  a 
barometer  has  its  uses,  and  so  have  evidences  of  grace. 
To  feel  the  pulse  is  an  admirable  thing;  the  mistake 
is  to  put  this  in  the  place  of  strengthening  food  or 
tonic  medicine. 

Self-Righteousness. 

The  squirrel  in  his  wire  cage,  continually  in  motion 
but  making  no  progress,  reminds  me  of  my  own  self- 
righteous  efforts  after  salvation,  but  the  little  creature 
is  never  one-half  so  wearied  by  his  exertions  as  I  was 
by  mine.  The  poor  chiffonier  in  Paris,  trying  to  earn 
a  living  by  picking'  dirty  rags  out  of  the  kennel,  suc- 
ceeds far  better  than  I  did  in  my  attempts  to  obtain 
comfort  by  my  own  works. 

Dickens's  cab-horse,  which  was  only  able  to  stand 
because  it  was  never  taken  out  of  the  shafts,  was 
strength  and  beauty  itself  compared  with  my  starve- 
ling hopes  propped  up  with  resolutious  and  regula- 
tions. Wretches  condemned  to  the  galleys  in  the 
days  of  the  old  French  kings,  whose  only  reward  for 
incessant  toils  was  the  lash  of  the  keeper,  were  in  a 
more  happy  plight  than  I  when  under  legal  bondage. 
Slavery  in  mines  where  the  sun  never  shines  must  be 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPUEGEON.  547 

preferable  to  the  miseries  of  a  soul  goaded  by  an 
awakened  conscience  to  seek  salvation  by  its  own 
merits. 

Some  of  the  martyrs  were  shut  up  in  a  dungeon 
called  Little-ease  ;  the  counterpart  of  that  prison-house 
I  well  remember.  Iron  chains  are  painful  enough;  but 
what  is  the  pain  when  the  iron  enters  into  the  soul ! 
Tell  us  not  of  the  writhings  of  the  wounded  and  dying 
on  the  battle-field ;  some  of  us,  when  our  heart  was 
riddled  by  the  artillery  of  the  law,  would  have  counted 
wounds  and  death  a  happy  exchange.  O  blessed 
Saviour,  how  blissful  was  the  hour  when  all  this  horrid 
midnight  of  the  soul  was  changed  into  the  day-dawn 
of  pardoning  love  ! 

"A  gentleman  in  our  late  civil  wars,"  says  Cowley, 
"when  his  quarters  were  beaten  up  by  the  enemy,  was 
taken  prisoner,  and  lost  his  life  afterwards,  only  by 
staying  to  put  on  a  band,  and  adjust  his  periwig:  he 
would  escape  like  a  person  of  quaHty,  or  not  at  all, 
and  died  the  noble  martyr  of  ceremony  and  gentility." 
Poor  fool !  and  yet  he  is  as  bad  who  waits  till  he  is 
dressed  in  the  rags  of  his  own  fancied  fitness  before 
he  will  come  to  Jesus.  He  will  die  a  martyr  to  pride 
and  self-righteousness. 

Self-Seeking-. 

A  certain  king  had  a  minstrel  whom  he  commanded 
to  play  before  him.  It  was  a  day  of  high  feasting; 
the  cups  were  flowing,  and  many  great  guests  were  as- 
sembled. The  minstrel  laid  his  fingers  among  the 
strings  of  his  harp,  and  woke  them  all  to  the  sweetest 


*648  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

melody,  but  the  hymn  was  to  the  glory  of  himself.  It 
was  a  celebration  of  the  exploits  of  song  which  the 
bard  had  himself  performed,  and  told  how  he  had  ex- 
celled high-born  Hoel's  harp,  and  emulated  soft  Lle- 
wellyn's lay.  In  high-sounding  strains  he  sang  him- 
self and  all  his  glories. 

When  the  feast  was  over,  the  harper  said  to  the 
monarch,  ''  O  king,  give  me  thy  guerdon  ;  let  the  min- 
strel's needs  be  paid."  Then  the  monarch  replied, 
"Thou  hast  sung  unto  thyself;  pay  thyself;  thine  own 
praises  were  thy  theme;  be  thyself  the  paymaster." 
The  harper  cried,  **  Did  I  not  sing  sweetly  ?  O  king, 
give  me  thy  gold  ! "  But  the  king  answered,  "So 
much  the  worse  for  thy  pride,  that  thou  shouldst  lavish 
such  sweetness  upon  thyself.  Get  thee  gone,  thou  shalt 
not  serve  in  my  train." 

If  a  man  should  grow  gray-headed  in  the  perform- 
ance of  good  works,  yet  when  at  the  last  it  is  known 
that  he  has  done  them  all  for  himself,  that  he  may  be 
honored  thereby,  his  Lord  will  say,  "Thou  hast  done 
well  enough  in  the  eyes  of  man,  but  so  much  the  worse, 
because  thou  didst  it  only  to  thyself,  that  thine  own 
praises  might  be  sung,  and  that  thine  own  name  might 
be  extolled. " 

Service,  tlie  Road  to  Honor. 

When  the  Spartan  king  advanced  against  the  enemy, 
he  had  always  with  him  some  one  that  had  been  crowned 
in  the  public  games  of  Greece.  And  they  tell  us  that 
a  Lacedaemonian,  when  large  sums  were  offered  him 
on  condition  that  he  would  not  enter  the  Olympic  lists, 


KEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPUEGEON.  549 

refused  them.  Having  with  much  difficulty  thrown  his 
antagonists  in  wresding,  one  put  this  question  to  him, 
"Spartan,  what  will  you  get  by  this  victory  ?  "  He  an- 
swered with  a  smile,  "  I  shall  have  the  honor  to  fight 
foremost  in  the  ranks  of  my  prince." 

The  honor  which  appertains  to  office  in  the  Church 
of  God  lies  mainly  in  this — that  the  man  who  is  set 
apart  for  such  service  has  the  privilege  of  being  firstin 
holiness  of  example,  abundance  of  liberality,  patience 
of  long-suffering,  zeal  in  effort,  and  self-sacrifice  in  ser- 
vice. Thou  gracious  King  of  kings,  if  thou  hast  made 
me  a  minister  or  deacon  in  thy  church,  enable  me  to  be 
foremost  In  every  good  word  and  work,  shunning  no 
sacrifice,  and  shrinking  from  no  suffering. 

Look  at  your  miller  on  the  village  hill.  How  does 
he  grind  his  grist?  Does  he  bargain  that  he  will  only 
grind  in  the  west  wind,  because  its  gales  are  so  full  of 
health?  No,  but  the  east  wind,  which  searches  joints 
and  marrow,  makes  the  mill-stones  revolve,  and  together 
with  the  north  and  south  it  is  yoked  to  his  service. 
Even  so  should  It  be  with  you  who  are  true  workers 
for  God;  all  your  upsand  your  downs,  your  successes 
and  your  defeats,  should  be  turned  to  the  glory  of  God. 

Of  the  old  hero  the  minstrel  sang — 

"  With  his  Yemen  sword  for  aid ; 

Ornament  it  carried  none. 

But  the  notches  on  the  blade." 

What  nobler  decoration  of  honor  can  any  godly  man 
seek  after  than  his  scars  of  service,  his  losses  for  the 
cross,  his  reproaches  for  Christ's  sake,  his  being  worn 
out  in  his  Master's  service  ! 


550  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

When  Calvin  was  banished  from  ungrateful  Geneva, 
he  said,  "  Most  assuredly  if  I  had  merely  served  man, 
this  would  have  been  a  poor  recompense ;  but  it  is  my 
happiness  that  I  have  served  him  who  never  fails  to  re- 
ward his  servants  to  the  full  extent  of  his  promise.  " 

Slander. 

We  saw  in  the  Museum  at  Venice  an  instrument 
with  which  one  of  the  old  Italian  tyrants  was  accus- 
tomed to  shoot  poisoned  needles  at  the  objects  of  his 
wanton  malignity;  we  thought  of  gossips,  backbiters 
and  secret  slanderers,  and  wished  that  their  mis-, 
chievous  devices  might  come  to  a  speedy  end.  Their 
weapons  of  innuendo,  shrug  and  whisper,  appear  to  be 
as  insignificant  as  needles,  but  the  venom  which  they 
instil  is  deadly  to  many  a  reputation. 

Some  persons  reported  to  the  amiable  poet  Tasso 
that  a  malicious  enemy  spoke  ill  of  him  to  all  the  world. 
"Let  him  persevere,"  said  Tasso ;  " his  rancor  gives 
me  no  pain.  How  much  better  is  it  that  he  should 
speak  ill  of  me  to  all  the  world,  than  that  all  the  world 
should  speak  ill  of  me  to  him." 

The  Rev.  B.  Jacobs,  of  Cambridgeport,  could,  when 
necessary,  administer  reproof  very  forcibly,  though 
the  gentleness  of  his  character  was  always  seen  in  the 
manner  in  which  it  was  done.  Some  young  ladies  at 
his  house  were  one  day  talking  about  one  of  their 
female  friends.  As  he  entered  the  room  he  heard  the 
epithets  "odd,"  "singular,"  etc.,  apphed.  He  asked 
and  was  told  the  name  of  the  young  lady  in  question, 
and  then  said,  very  gravely,  "  Yes,  she  is  an  odd  young 


KEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPUEGEON.  551 

lady ;  she  is  a  very  odd  young  lady ;  I  consider  her 
extremely  singular."  He  then  added  very  impres- 
sively, "  She  was  never  heard  to  speak  ill  of  an  absent 
friend."     The  rebuke  was  not  forgotten  by  those  who 

heard  it. 

Wide  Consequences  of  Sin, 

Saees  of  old  contended  that  no  sin  was  ever  com- 
mitted  whose  consequences  rested  on  the  head  of  the 
sinner  alone  ;  that  no  man  could  do  ill  and  his  fellows 
not  suffer.  They  illustrated  it  thus  : — "A  vessel  sail- 
ing from  Joppa  carried  a  passenger,  who,  beneath  his 
berth,  cut  a  hole  through  in  the  ship's  side.  When  the 
men  of  the  watch  expostulated  with  him,  '  What  dost 
thou,  O  miserable  man  ?'  the  offender  calmly  repHed, 
'What  matters  it  to  you  ?  The  hole  I  have  made  lies 
under  my  own  berth.'  " 

This  ancient  parable  is  worthy  of  the  utmost  con- 
sideration. No  man  perishes  alone  in  his  iniquity ;  no 
man  can  guess  the  full  consequences  of  his  trans- 
gressions. 

Sin  Aroused  by  the  Law. 

A  contented  citizen  of  Milan,  who  had  never  passed 
beyond  its  walls  during  the  course  of  sixty  years, 
being  ordered  by  the  governor  not  to  stir  beyond  its 
gates,  became  immediately  miserable,  and  felt  so 
powerful  an  inclination  to  do  that  which  he  had  so  long 
contentedly  neglected  that,  on  his  application  for  a  re- 
lease from  this  restraint  being  refused,  he  became  quite 
melancholy,  and  at  last  died  of  grief. 

How  well  this  illustrates  the  apostle's  confession 


552  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

that  he  had  not  known  lust,  unless  the  law  had  said 
unto  him,  "Thou  shalt  not  covet!"  "Sin,"  saith  he, 
"takingr  occasion  by  the  commandment,  wrought  in  me 
all  manner  of  concupiscence."  Evil  often  sleeps  in  the 
soul,  until  the  holy  command  of  God  is  discovered, 
and  then  the  enmity  of  the  carnal  mind  rouses  itself  to 
oppose  in  every  way  the  will  of  God.  "Without  the 
law,"  says  Paul,  "sin  was  dead."  How  vain  to  hope 
for  salvation  from  the  law  when,  through  the  perversity 
of  sin,  it  provokes  our  evil  hearts  to  rebellion,  and 
works  in  us  neither  repentance  nor  love. 

Insidious  Nature  of  Sin. 

In  the  gardens  of  Hampton  Court  you  will  see  many 
trees  entirely  vanquished  and  well-nigh  strangled  by 
huge  coils  of  ivy,  which  are  wound  about  them  like  the 
snakes  around  the  unhappy  Laocoon  ;  there  is  no  un- 
twisting the  folds  ;  they  are  too  giant-like  and  fast  fixed, 
and  every  hour  the  rootlets  of  the  climber  are  sucking 
the  life  out  of  the  unhappy  tree.  Yet  there  was  a  day 
when  the  ivy  was  a  tiny  aspirant,  only  asking  a  little 
aid  in  climbing ;  had  it  been  denied  then,  the  tree  had 
never  become  its  victim,  but  by  degrees  the  humble 
weakling  grew  in  strength  and  arrogance,  and  at  last 
it  assumed  the  mastery,  and  the  tall  tree  became  the 
prey  of  the  creeping,  insinuating  destroyer. 

The  moral  is  too  obvious.  Sorrowfully  do  we  re- 
member many  noble  characters  which  have  been 
ruined  little  and  little  by  insinuating  habits.  Drink 
has  been  the  ivy  in  many  cases.    Reader,  see  to  it,  lest 


KEV.  CHAELES  H.  SPURGEON.  553 

some  slowly  advancing  sin  overpower  you  :  men  who 
are  murdered  by  slow  poisoning  die  just  as  surely  as 
those  who  take  arsenic. 

Theolog-y  Ought  Not  to  be  Petrified  Scripture. 

Petrarch's  works  are  said  to  have  lain  so  long  in  the 
roof  of  St.  Mark's,  at  Venice,  that  they  became 
turned  into  stone ;  by  what  process  deponent  sayeth 
not.  To  many  men  it  might  well  seem  that  the  Word 
of  God  had  become  petrified,  for  they  receive  it  as  a 
hard,  lifeless  creed,  a  stone  upon  which  to  sharpen  the 
daggers  of  controversy,  a  stumbling-block  for  young 
beginners,  a  millstone  with  which  to  break  opponents' 
heads,  after  the  manner  experienced  by  Abimelech  at 
Thebez.  A  man  must  have  a  stout  digestion  to  feed 
on  some  men's  theology  ;  no  sap,  no  sweetness,  no  life, 
but  all  stern  accuracy  and  fleshless  definition.  Pro- 
claimed without  tenderness,  and  argued  without  affec- 
tion, the  gospel  from  such  men  rather  resembles  a  mis- 
sile from  a  catapult  than  bread  from  a  Father's  table. 

Teeth  are  needlessly  broken  over  the  grit  of  sys- 
tematic theology,  while  souls  are  famishing.  To  turn 
stones  into  bread  was  a  temptation  of  our  Master,  but 
how  many  of  his  servants  yield  readily  to  the  far  worse 
temptation  to  turn  bread  into  stone  !  Go  thy  way, 
metaphysical  divine,  to  the  stone-yard,  and  break  gran- 
ite for  McAdam,  but  stand  not  in  the  way  of  loving 
spirits  who  would  feed  the  family  of  God  with  living 
bread.  The  inspired  Word  is  to  us  spirit  and  life,  and 
we  cannot  afford  to  have  it  hardened  into  a  huge  mono- 
lith, or  a  spiritual  Stonehenge — sublime,  but  cold ;  ma- 


554  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

jestic,  but  lifeless ;  far  rather  would  we  have  it  as  our 
own  household  book,  our  bosom  companion,  the  poor 
man's  counsellor  and  friend. 

Benefit  of  Sorrow. 

Two  seeds  lie  before  us — the  one  is  warmed  in  the 
sun,  the  other  falls  from  the  sower's  hand  into  the  cold 
dark  earth,  and  there  it  lies  buried  beneath  the  soil. 
The  seed  which  suns  itself  in  the  noontide  beam  may 
rejoice  in  the  light  in  which  it  basks,  but  it  is  liable  to 
be  devoured  by  the  bird ;  and  certainly  naught  can 
come  of  it,  however  long  it  may  linger  above  ground ; 
but  the  other  seed,  hidden  beneath  the  clods  in  a  damp, 
dark  sepulchre,  soon  swells,  germinates,  bursts  its 
sheath,  upheaves  the  mould,  springs  up  a  green  blade, 
buds,  blossoms,  becomes  a  flower,  exhales  perfume, 
and  loads  the  wings  of  every  wind. 

Better  far  for  the  seed  to  pass  into  the  earth  and 
die,  than  to  lie  in  the  sunshine  and  produce  no 
fruit ;  and  even  thus  for  thee  the  future  in  its  sorrow 
shall  be  as  a  sowing  in  a  fertile  land ;  tears  shall 
moisten  thee,  grace  shall  increase  within  thee,  and 
thou  shalt  grow  up  in  the  likeness  of  thy  Lord  unto 
perfection  of  holiness,  to  be  such  a  flower  of  God's 
own  planting  as  even  angels  shall  delight  to  gaze 
upon  in  the  day  of  thy  transplanting  to  the  celestial 
soil. 


BEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPUEGEON.  555 

PEARLS. 

The  Paris  correspondent  of  the  "  Dally  News " 
writes  :  **  The  French  have  grown  so  clever  at  imitat- 
ing pearls  that  a  jeweller  in  the  Exhibition  shows  a 
necklace  which  purports  to  be  a  mixture  of  true  pearls 
and  false,  and  he  challenges  his  customers  to  single 
out  the  real  ones  if  they  can.  Nobody  had  yet  suc- 
ceeded, when  I  myself  made  an  ineffectual  attempt." 

The  art  of  pearl-making  is  by  no  means  a  new  dis- 
covery; by  various  methods  imitation  pearls  have 
been  manufactured  in  divers  countries  for  many  years. 
The  French  have,  however,  proved  themselves  supe- 
rior to  all  competitors.  Specimens  of  their  artificial 
productions  exhibited  at  the  Exposition  of  1867  could 
neither  in  their  lustre  nor  color  be  distinguished  from 
Oriental  pearls,  even  when  the  genuine  and  the  sham 
were  laid  side  by  side.  We  are  told  that  there  is  only 
one  way  by  which  they  can  be  detected,  and  that  is  by 
their  specific  weight ;  they  are  much  lighter  than  the 
real  pearls. 

There  is  "  one  Pearl  of  great  price,"  about  whose 
genuineness  there  can  never  be  a  question  ;  but  all 
the  goodly  pearls  which  this  world  can  yield  need  to 
be  weighed  before  we  can  conclude  them  to  be  of  any 
great  value — indeed,  the  choicest  pearls  of  earth  are 
insignificant  in  price  compared  with  Him  who  is  more 
precious  than  rubles,  and  of  whom  it  is  written,  that 
"  all  the  things  thou  canst  desire  are  not  to  be  com- 
pared unto  Him." 

Even  real  pearls,  the  best  of  them,  fit  to  adorn  an 


656  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

emperor's  crown  and  to  heighten  the  beauty  of  the 
fairest  of  maidens,  have  been  known  to  sicken  and  die 
and  vanish  in  a  day.  Every  now  and  then  we  hear  of 
magnificent  ancestral  pearls,  the  pride  of  noble  fami- 
lies, turning  of  a  sickly  color  and  crumbling  into  dust. 

Not  long  ago  the  crown-jeweller  of  France  solemnly 
applied  to  the  Academy  of  Science  for  the  means  of 
preventing  the  decay  and  corruption  of  the  precious 
gems  in  the  royal  crown.  No  satisfactory  answer  was 
given,  and  many  highly-prized  jewels  have  since  then 
passed  away.  "  Behold  all  is  vanity  and  vexation  of 
spirit." 

In  a  work  entitled  "The  Wonders  of  the  Deep," 
M.  Scheie  de  Vere  tells  us  the  following  story,  of 
which  we  leave  our  readers  to  draw  the  moral  for 
themselves  :  A  dusky  fisherman  in  the  far-off  seas  of 
India  once  found  a  pearl  in  an  oyster.  He  had  heard 
of  such  costly  gems,  and  sold  it  to  an  Arab  for  a  gold 
coin  which  maintained  him  for  a  whole  year  in  luxury 
and  idleness.  The  Arab  exchanged  it  for  powder 
and  shot  furnished  him  by  a  Russian  merchant  on 
board  a  trading  vessel,  who  even  yet  did  not  recognize 
the  dirty,  dust-covered  little  ball  as  a  precious  jewel. 

He  brought  it  home  as  a  present  for  his  children  on 
the  banks  of  the  Neva,  where  a  brother  merchant  saw 
it  and  bought  it  for  a  trifle.  The  pearl  had  at  last 
found  one  who  could  appreciate  its  priceless  value. 
The  great  man — for  it  was  a  merchant  of  the  first 
class,  the  owner  of  a  great  fortune — rejoiced  at  the 
silent  fraud  by  which  he  had  obtained  the  one  pearl  of 


EEV.  CHAKLES  H.  SPURGEON.  557 

great  price,  without  selling  all  and  buying  it  fairly, 
and  cherished  it  as  the  pride  of  his  heart. 

Visitors  came  from  all  parts  of  the  world  to  see  the 
wonder.  He  received  them  in  his  merchant's  costume  in 
a  palace  plain  without,  but  resplendent  inside  with  all 
that  human  art  can  do  to  embellish  a  dwelling,  and 
led  them  silently  through  room  after  room,  filled  with 
rare  collections  and  dazzling  by  the  splendor  of  their 
ornaments.  At  last  he  opened  with  his  own  key  the 
carved  folding-doors  of  an  inner  room,  which  sur- 
prised the  visitor  by  its  apparent  simplicity.  The 
floor,  to  be  sure,  was  inlaid  with  malachite  and  costly 
marble,  the  ceiling  carved  in  rare  woods,  and  the 
walls  hung  with  silk  tapestry ;  but  there  was  no  furni- 
ture, no  gilding — nothing  but  a  round  table  of  dark 
Egyptian  marble  in  the  centre. 

"  Under  it  stood  a  strong  box  of  apparently  wonder- 
ful ingenuity,  for  even  the  cautious  owner  had  to  go 
through  various  readings  of  alphabets,  and  to  unlock 
one  door  after  another,  before  he  reached  an  inner 
cavity,  in  which  a  plain  square  box  of  Russia  leather 
was  standing  alone.  With  an  air  akin  to  reverence, 
the  happy  merchant  would  take  the  box  and  press  it 
for  a  moment  to  his  bosom  ;  then,  devoutly  crossing 
himself  and  murmuring  an  invocation  to  some  saint, 
he  would  draw  a  tiny  gold  key,  which  he  wore  next 
his  person,  from  his  bosom,  unlock  the  casket,  and 
hold  up  his  precious  pet  to  the  light  that  fell  from  a 
grated  window  above. 

It  was  a  glorious  sight  for  the  lover  of  such  things — 


558  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

a  pearl  as  large  as  a  small  egg,  of  unsurpassed  beauty 
and  marvellous  lustre.  The  sphere  was  perfect ;  the 
play  of  colors,  as  he  would  let  It  reluctantly  roll  from 
his  hands  over  his  long  white  fingers  down  on  the  dark 
table,  was  only  equalled  by  the  flaming  opal,  and  yet 
there  was  a  soft,  subdued  light  about  the  lifeless  thing 
which  endowed  it  with  an  almost  irresistible  charm. 

It  was  not  only  the  pleasure  its  perfect  form  and 
matchless  beauty  gave  to  the  eye,  nor  the  overwhelm- 
ing thought  of  the  fact  that  the  little  ball  was  worth 
anything  an  emperor  or  a  millionaire  might  choose  to 
give  for  it — there  was  a  magic  in  its  playful,  ever- 
changing  sheen  as  it  rolled  to  and  fro — a  contagion  in 
the  rapt  fervor  with  which  the  grim  old  merchant 
watched  its  every  flash  and  flare,  which  left  few  hearts 
cold  as  they  saw  the  marvel  of  St.  Petersburg.  For 
such  it  was,  and  the  emperor  himself,  who  loved  pearls 
dearly,  had  in  vain  offered  rank  and  titles  and  honors 
for  the  priceless  gem. 

A  few  years  afterwards  a  conspiracy  was  discovered 
and  several  great  men  were  arrested.  Among  the 
suspected  was  the  merchant.  Taking  his  one  great 
treasure  with  him,  he  fled  to  Paris.  Jewellers  and 
amateurs.  Frenchmen  and  foreigners,  flocked  around 
him,  for  the  fame  of  his  jewel  had  long  since  reached 
France.     He  refused  to  show  it  for  a  time. 

At  last  he  appointed  a  day  when  his  great  rival  in 
pearls,  the  famous  Dutch  banker,  the  Duke  of  Bruns- 
wick, and  other  men  well  known  for  their  love  of 
precious  stones  and  pearls,  were  to  behold  the  wonder. 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  559 

He  drew  forth  the  golden  key,  he  opened  the  casket ; 
but  his  face  turned  deadly  pale,  his  eyes  started  from 
their  sockets,  his  whole  frame  began  to  tremble,  and 
his  palsied  hand  let  the  casket  drop.  The  pearl  was 
discolored  !  A  sickly  blue  color  had  spread  over  it,  and 
dimmed  its  matchless  lustre.  His  gem  was  diseased. 
In  a  short  time  it  turned  into  a  white  powder,  and 
the  rich  merchant  of  St.  Petersburg,  the  owner  of  the 
finest  pearl  known  to  the  world,  was  a  pauper.  The 
pearl  had  avenged  the  poor  Indian  of  the  East,  the 
Arab,  and  the  poor  traveller,  and  administered  silent 
justice  to  the  purchaser  who  paid  not  its  price. 

MOORE'S  REMONSTRANCE. 

Earl  Russell  is  dead.  In  biographical  notices  given 
by  most  of  the  papers  allusion  is  made  to  the  proposi- 
tion of  Lord  John  Russell  to  retire  from  public  life 
while  yet  a  young  man,  in  consequence  of  some  serious 
discouragement  which  he  had  received.  It  is  stated 
that  he  was  deterred  from  so  doing  by  the  expostula- 
tions of  Thomas  Moore,  and  quotations  are  made  from 
the  "Remonstrance"  which  that  sparkling  poet  ad- 
dressed to  him.  On  reading  the  poem  it  struck  us  at 
once  that  many  of  the  remarks  would  apply  in  other 
and  higher  senses  to  any  Christian  who  should  be 
tempted  to  withdraw  himself  from  the  service  of  his 
Lord.  The  first  three  verses  of  the  poem  we  will  quote 
at  length: 

"  Whxt  thou,  with  thy  genius,  thy  youth,  and  thy  name — 
Thou,  bcrn  of  a  Russell — whose  instinct  to  run 
The  accustomed  career  of  thy  sires,  is  the  same 
As  the  eaglet's  to  soar  with  his  eyes  on  the  sun, — 


560  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

"  Whose  nobility  comes  to  thee  stamped  with  a  seal 

Far,  far  more  ennobling  than  monarch  e'er  set, 
With  the  blood  of  thy  race  offered  up  for  the  weal 
Of  a  nation  that  swears  by  that  martyrdom  yet, — 

"  Shalt  thou  be  faint-hearted  and  turn  from  the  strife, 
From  the  mighty  arena  where  all  that  is  grand, 
And  devoted,  and  pure,  and  adorning  in  life, 

'Tis  for  high-thoughted  spirits  hke  thine  to  command  ?  " 

Born  from  above,  and  bearing  the  name  of  Christian, 
shall  the  child  of  God  cease  to  battle  for  that  which  is 
good  ?  Conscious  of  a  sacred  instinct  which  impels 
him  onward  and  upward,  shall  he  sit  down  in  despair 
or  retire  into  inglorious  ease  ?  Serving  a  Lord  who 
spared  not  His  heart's  blood  for  man's  redemption,  and 
following  in  the  track  of  thousands  of  martyrs  who 
counted  not  their  lives  dear  unto  them,  shall  we  self- 
ishly shun  self-denial  and  avoid  reproach  ?  No ;  by 
God's  grace  let  us  never  dream  of  timorous  silence,  nor 
think  for  an  instant  that  our  light  can  be  spared  from 
the  darkening  horizon  of  our  times. 

We  may  have  neither  eloquence  nor  genius,  but  such 
as  we  have  we  will  consecrate  to  the  last  moment  of  our 
lives  to  Him  who  hath  bought  us  by  His  precious  blood. 
We  may  address  to  every  timorous  heart  the  closing 
verse  of  Tom  Moore,  altered  to  suit  the  case : 

"  Thus  ransomed,  thou  never  canst  sleep  in  the  shade  ; 
If  the  strings  of  impulse,  the  terror  of  fame. 
And  the  charms  of  thy  cause  have  not  power  to  persuade. 
Yet  think  how  to  Jesus  thou'rt  pledged  by  thy  name." 

He  who  wears  the  name  of  Christian  is  sworn  to  sus- 
tain the  cause  of  God  and  truth  with  the  last  drop  that 
warms  his  veins. 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  561 

DESERTERS. 

One  of  our  journals,  in  an  article  upon  the  charac- 
ter of  the  men  in  the  British  army,  says  :  "  One  great 
cause  of  misconduct  is  that  few  men  enlist  deliberately, 
but  rather  take  the  shilling  as  a  means  of  escaping 
temporary  trouble  of  some  sort.  Either  a  man  is 
temporarily  out  of  work,  or  he  has  a  quarrel  with  his 
sweetheart,  or  he  wishes  for  a  while  to  keep  out  of  the 
way  of  the  police.  Comparatively  rarely  does  he  be- 
come a  soldier  from  a  conviction  that  it  is  an  honorable 
mode  of  earning  a  living,  and  that  there  are  some  ex- 
tremely good  prizes  to  be  won.  Hence  speedy  re- 
pentance, and  if  he  is  unable  to  purchase  his  discharge 
he  will  frequently  in  desperation  steal,  so  openly  that 
he  must  be  discovered,  some,  to  him,  useless  article, 
such  as  a  broom  or  one  boot." 

It  seems,  then,  that  very  much  depends  upon  the 
manner  of  the  enlistment  of  soldiers,  and  we  are  quite 
sure  that  with  young  converts  everything  depends 
upon  the  reason  for  their  enrolment  in  the  army  of 
Christ.  If  they  merely  come  to  Christ  because  they 
are  under  some  temporary  alarm  of  soul,  and  not  be- 
cause they  are  heartily  convinced  of  the  error  of  their 
ways,  they  will  probably  desert  from  the  standard  of 
the  cross  as  soon  as  the  temporary  pressure  of  natural 
conviction  is  removed. 

The  awakening  sermon  is  forgotten,  the  alarming 

providence  is  over,  the  eloquent  revivalist  has  gone  to 

another  town,  and  the  superficial  converts  regret  that 

they  ever  made  a  profession  of  religion,  and  under  one 
36 


662  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

pretext  or  another  they  slide  away.  How  well  it  is 
that  our  young  friends  should  count  the  cost  and  under- 
stand what  they  are  doing,  and  then  should  deliberately 
and  heartily  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  people  of  God. 
They  must  be  convinced  that  to  be  a  Christian  is  right 
and  honorable,  and  for  their  own  eternal  good  ;  they 
must  also  be  assured  that  the  cause  is  one  of  truth 
and  righteousness,  and  that  in  it  lies  all  their  hope  of 
eternal  salvation — they  must,  in  a  word,  be  renewed 
in  the  spirit  of  their  minds,  or  they  will  soon  be  the 
prey  of  temptation,  and  the  Church  will  be  filled  with 
alarm  at  the  large  number  of  deserters. 

Our  Lord  was  always  anxious  that  men  should  be 
saved,  but  He  was  never  in  a  hurry  to  gather  nominal 
disciples.  When  the  scribe  said  to  Him,  "  Master,  I 
will  follow  Thee  whithersoever  Thou  goest,"  He  did 
not  reply,  as  many  of  us  would  have  done,  with  a  press- 
ing invitation  and  an  enthusiastic  welcome;  but  He 
was  far  more  wise  in  his  procedure,  for  He  replied  : 
"The  foxes  have  holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have 
nests ;  but  I,  the  Son  of  man,  have  not  where  to  lay 
my  head."  He  put  before  him  the  poverty  of  the 
Captain  and  the  hard  fare  of  the  soldier.  When  the 
multitude  thronged  around  Him,  He  did  not  com- 
mence taking  their  names,  enrolling  them  as  His  con- 
verts, and  counting  heads  in  order  to  publish  astound- 
ing statistics,  but,  on  the  contrary,  He  sifted  them  with 
words  like  these :  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  yQ 
seek  me,  not  because  ye  saw  the  miracles,  but  because 
ye  did  eat  of  the  loaves,  and  were  filled." 


REV.  CHAELES  H.  SPUEGEOK  563 

The  recruiting-sergeants  of  her  Majesty's  army  are 
so  anxious  to  get  hold  of  the  men  that  they  are  not 
scrupulous  as  to  the  arguments  they  use.  Drink  is 
freely  given,  the  soldier's  condition  is  set  forth  in  rosy 
colors,  and  the  young  man  is  cajoled  and  seduced  into 
a  way  of  life  which  he  would  not  have  thoughtfully 
chosen  ;  but  it  must  not  be  so  among  us.  We  may 
not  repel  any  man  who  wishes  to  join  our  ranks,  but 
we  may  not  persuade  men  and  women  to  make  a 
hasty  profession,  and  take  the  name  of  Christian  upon 
them  to  please  their  friends. 

The  door  must  not  be  closed  with  lock  and  key,  but 
there  must  be  a  porter  to  open  it,  in  order  that  the 
sheep,  and  not  the  goats,  may  go  in  and  out  and  find 
pasture.  Since  the  porter  himself  may  be  readily  de- 
ceived, it  is  every  man's  personal  responsibility  to  see 
that  he  enters  with  his  heart  and  soul  into  the  Church 
of  God,  if  he  does  enter  at  all ;  and  it  is  at  his  own 
peril  that  he  dares  to  intrude  unworthily  or  insincerely 
into  the  fold  of  Christ.. 

A  profession  carelessly  made  will  soon  be  dishonor- 
ably abandoned.  We  know  who  it  was  that  said : 
"  They  went  out  from  us,  but  they  were  not  of  us  ;  for 
if  they  had  been  of  us,  they  would  no  doubt  have  con- 
tinued with  us  ;  but  they  went  out,  that  they  might  be 
made  manifest  that  they  were  not  all  of  us."  He  who 
wrote  these  words  was  of  a  loving  nature,  and  never 
formed  a  harsh  judgment,  and  therefore  from  his  ver- 
dict we  conclude  that  the  backslidings  and  apostasies 
which  weaken  the  visible  Church  of  Christ  are  caused 


564  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

by   a  want   of  reality   at  the  commencement  of  the 
rehglous  Hfe. 

There  was  no  root,  and  therefore  the  plant  withered 
when  the  sun  was  risen  with  burning  heat.  There 
was  no  call  to  the  soldier's  life,  or  the  reputed  warrior 
of  the  Cross  would  not  have  so  shamefully  deserted  the 
colors.  Hence  the  stern  necessity  of  our  being  care- 
ful in  examining  all  candidates,  and  honest  in  warning 
them  of  their  responsibilities. 

"  Have  ye  counted  the  cost, 
Have  ye  counted  the  cost, 
Ye  warriors  of  the  Cross  ? 
Are  ye  fixed  in  the  heart,  for  your  Master's  sake 

To    suffer  all  earthly  loss  ? 
Can  ye  bear  the  scoff  of  the  worldly-wise, 

As  ye  pass  by  Pleasure's  bower 
To  watch  with  your  Lord  on  the  mountain-top 
Through  the  weary  midnight  hour  ? 

"  Do  ye  answer,  '  We  can,' 
Do  ye  answer,  '  We  can,' 
Through  His  love's  constraining  power  ? 
But  do  ye  remember  the  flesh  is  weak, 
And  shrinks  in  the  trial  hour  ? 
Yet  yield  to  His  hand  who  around  you  now 

The  cords  of  a  man  would  cast, 
The  bands  of  His  love  who  was  smitten  for  you, 
To  the  altar  binding  you  fast. 

"  In  the  power  of  His  might. 
In  the  power  of  His  might. 
Who  was  made  through  weakness  strong. 
Ye  shall  overcome  in  the  fearful  fight. 

And  sing  His  victory  song. 
But  count  ye  the  cost,  yea,  count  ye  the  cost — 

The  forsaking  all  ye  have — 
Then  take  up  your  cross  and  follow  your  Lord, 
Not  thinking  your  life  to  save." 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  565 

THE  BEST  PREPARATION  FOR  THE  SECOND 
ADVENT. 

There  is  a  well-known  story  in  New  England  which 
relates  that  about  a  century  ago  a  day  of  remarkable 
gloom  and  darkness  overspread  the  States  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  Connecticut — a  day  still  spoken  of  in 
local  histories  as  "  the  dark  day,"  when  the  light  of  the 
sun  was  slowly  extinguished  as  if  by  an  eclipse.  The 
Legislature  of  Connecticut  happened  at  that  moment 
to  be  in  session,  and,  to  quote  an  American  writer, 
**  As  its  members  saw  the  unexpected  and  unaccount- 
able darkness  coming  on,  they  shared  in  the  general 
awe  and  terror.  It  was  supposed  by  many  that  the 
Last  Day — the  Day  of  Judgment — had  come,  and  in 
the  consternation  of  the  hour  some  member  moved 
the  adjournment  of  the  House.  Then  straightway 
there  arose  an  old  Puritan  legislator,  Davenport  of 
Stamford,  and  said  that  if  the  Last  Day  had  come,  he 
desired  to  be  found  in  his  place  and  doing  his  duty  ; 
for  which  reasons  he  moved  that  candles  should  be 
brought,  so  that  the  House  might  proceed  with  its 
debate." 

This  Davenport  of  Stamford  was  a  wise  man. 
What  could  the  other  senators  have  suggested  which 
would  be  equally  suitable  for  the  occasion  ?  If  it  had 
been  the  Last  Day,  would  they  have  been  more  ready 
for  it  if  they  had  gone  to  their  homes  and  waited  there 
in  idleness  ?  Would  it  have  been  more  seemly  to  have 
rushed  into  the  street,  and  to  have  stood  there  with 
gaping  mouths  looking  upward  to  the  sky?     What 


5Q6  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

was  better  than  being  ready  for  whatever  might 
happen,  and  waiting  at  the  post  of  duty? 

We  believe  firmly  in  the  second  advent  of  Christ, 
and  in  the  grand  fact  that  He  may  come  at  such  an 
hour  as  we  think  not ;  but  what  of  that?  What  is  the 
practical  use  of  the  revelation  ?  Are  we  to  forego 
matters  of  immediate  concern  in  order  to  pry  into  the 
impenetrable  darkness  of  the  future  ?  Are  we  to  make 
ourselves  into  mere  star-gazers  and  prognosticators  ? 
Are  we  to  spend  our  time  in  idle  wonder,  concluding 
that  every  time  we  hear  of  wars,  and  rumors 
of  wars,  and  read  of  earthquakes  in  divers  places, 
it  is  an  infallible  token  that  the  end  of  the  world  is 
near?  Why,  there  have  been  wars  and  rumors  of 
wars,  and  all  the  other  signs,  a  score  of  times,  and 
yet  the  world  wags  on  at  its  usual  rate. 

No ;  rather  let  us  give  ourselves  up  more  entirely 
to  the  pressing  demands  of  our  Lord's  household;  let 
us  bring  out  of  His  storehouse  things  new  and  old, 
continue  to  feed  our  fellow-servants,  and  welcome  home 
the  wanderers  ;  and  then,  whether  the  Master  come  at 
cock-crow  or  midnight,  it  will  signify  little  enough 
to  us.  We  shall  welcome  Him  whenever  He  comes, 
and  He  will  meet  us  with  joy,  for  "  blessed  is  that  serv- 
ant whom  his  Lord  when  He  cometh  shall  find  so 
doing." 

Master  Davenport  of  Stamford  doubtless  had  a 
solid  confidence  in  the  Lord  Jesus  ;  his  faith  had  fixed 
itself  upon  His  first  advent,  and  received  the  salvation 
which  Jesus  came  to  bring;   and  therefore,  delivered 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  567 

from  all  trepidation  and  alarm,  he  did  not  share  in  the 
general  terror,  nor  draw  inferences  of  alarm  from  the 
unexpected  and  unaccountable  darkness.  The  heavens 
might  fall,  but  he  dwelt  above  the  heavens,  and  in 
quietness  and  assurance  was  his  strength. 

Moreover,  the  good  man  possessed  a  faith  which 
manifested  itself  by  works ;  his  business  was  his  re- 
ligion, and  his  religion  was  his  business.  He  believed 
he  was  called  of  God  to  sit  in  the  Legislature  of  Con- 
necticut, and  therefore  there  he  sat :  he  only  wanted 
candles,that  he  might  see  what  he  was  at.  He  was  doing 
what  was  right,  he  was  there  to  vote  for  justice  and  truth, 
and  if  his  Master  had  come  he  would  have  risen  from 
his  seat  and  said,  "  Here  am  I,  In  the  place  Thou 
wouldst  have  me  to  occupy." 

We  remember  once  calling  upon  one  of  our  mem- 
bers, a  sister  who  managed  her  household  with  discre- 
tion. She  was  In  humble  circumstances,  and  when  we 
stopped  opposite  her  house  she  was  whitening  the 
front  steps.  She  rose  from  her  pail  and  apologized 
for  being  found  with  her  sleeves  up  ;  but  we  begged 
her  to  make  no  excuse,  for  she  was  doing  her  duty, 
and  we  earnestly  hoped  that  when  our  Lord  should 
come  He  would  find  us  in  the  same  condition.  If  she 
had  known  we  were  coming,  it  is  just  possible  she 
would  have  put  on  her  best  gown,  and  have  been  wait- 
ing in  the  little  parlor ;  but  we  should  not  have  been 
one-half  as  charmed  with  her  prepared  appearance  as 
with  the  exhibition  of  her  every-day  industry. 

The  most  fitting  condition  for  death  and  for  judg- 


568  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

ment  is  to  be  diligent  in  the  Master's  business,  fervent 
in  spirit,  serving  the  Lord.  The  times  are  very  dark  ; 
bring  in  the  candles,  and  let  the  House  proceed  with 
the  present  business. 

ON  RAISING  QUESTIONS. 

In  these  days,  a  simple,  child-like  faith  is  very  rare ; 
but  the  usual  thing  is  to  believe  nothing,  and  question 
everything.  Doubts  are  as  plentiful  as  blackberries, 
and  all  hands  and  lips  are  stained  with  them.  To  me 
it  seems  very  strange  that  men  should  hunt  up  diffi- 
culties as  to  their  own  salvation.  If  I  were  doomed 
to  die,  and  I  had  a  hint  of  mercy,  I  am  sure  I  should 
not  set  my  wits  to  work  to  find  out  reasons  why  I 
should  not  be  pardoned.  I  could  leave  my  enemies  to 
do  that :  I  should  be  on  the  look-out  in  a  very  different 
direction. 

If  I  were  drowning,  I  should  sooner  catch  at  a  straw 
than  push  a  life-belt  away  from  me.  To  reason  against 
one's  own  life  is  a  sort  of  constructive  suicide  of  which 
only  a  drunken  man  would  be  guilty.  To  argue 
against  your  only  hope  is  like  a  foolish  man  sitting  on 
a  bough,  and  chopping  it  away  so  as  to  let  himself 
down.  Who  but  an  idiot  would  do  that  ?  Yet  many 
appear  to  be  special  pleaders  for  their  own  ruin.  They 
hunt  the  Bible  through  for  threatening  texts  ;  and 
when  they  have  done  with  that,  they  turn  to  reason, 
and  philosophy,  and  scepticism,  in  order  to  shut  the 
door  in  their  own  faces.  Surely  this  is  poor  employ- 
ment for  a  sensible  man. 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  569 

Many,  nowadays,  who  cannot  quite  get  away  from 
relimous  thought,  are  able  to  stave  off  the  inconven- 
ient  pressure  of  conscience  by  quibbling  over  the  great 
truths  of  revelation.  Great  mysteries  are  in  the  Book 
of  God  of  necessity  ;  fq>r  how  can  the  infinite  God  so 
speak  that  all  His  thoughts  can  be  grasped  by  finite 
man  ?  But  it  is  the  height  of  folly  to  get  discussing 
these  deep  things,  and  to  leave  plain,  soul-saving*truths 
in  abeyance. 

It  reminds  one  of  the  two  philosophers  who  debated 
about  food,  and  went  away  empty  from  the  table,  while 
the  common  countryman  in  the  corner  asked  no  ques- 
tion, but  used  his  knife  and  fork  with  great  diligence, 
and  went  on  his  way  rejoicing.  Thousands  are  now 
happy  in  the  Lord  through  receiving  the  gospel  like 
little  children ;  while  others,  who  can  always  see  diffi- 
culties, or  invent  them,  are  as  far  off  as  ever  from  any 
comfortable  hope  of  salvation. 

I  know  very  decent  people  who  seem  to  have  re- 
solved never  to  come  to  Christ  till  they  can  under- 
stand how  the  doctrine  of  election  is  consistent  with 
the  free  invitations  of  the  gospel.  I  might  just  as 
well  determine  never  to  eat  a  morsel  of  bread  till  it  is 
explained  to  me  how  it  is  that  God  keeps  me  alive, 
and  yet  I  must  eat  to  live.  The  fact  is,  that  we  most 
of  us  know  quite  enough  already,  and  the  real  want 
with  us  is  not  light  in  the  head,  but  truth  in  the  heart; 
not  help  over  difficulties,  but  grace  to  make  us  hate 
sin  and  seek  reconciliation. 

Here  let  me  add  a  warning  against  tampering  with 


670  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

the  Word  of  God.  No  habit  can  be  more  ruinous  to 
the  soul.  It  is  cool,  contemptuous  impertinence  to  sit 
down  and  correct  your  Maker,  and  it  tends  to  make 
the  heart  harder  than  the  nether  millstone.  We  re- 
member one  who  used  a  penknife  on  his  Bible,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  he  had  given  up  all  his  former 
beliefs.  The  spirit  of  reverence  is  healthy,  but  the 
impertinence  of  criticising  the  inspired  Word  is  de- 
structive of  all  proper  feeling  toward  God. 

If  ever  a  man  does  feel  his  need  of  a  Saviour  after 
treating  Scripture  with  a  proud,  critical  spirit,  he  is 
very  apt  to  find  his  conscience  standing  in  the  way, 
and  hindering  him  from  comfort  by  reminding  him  of 
ill-treatment  of  the  sacred  Word.  It  comes  hard  to 
him  to  draw  consolation  out  of  passages  of  the  Bible 
which  he  has  treated  cavalierly,  or  even  set  aside  alto- 
gether, as  unworthy  of  consideration.  In  his  distress 
the  sacred  texts  seem  to  laugh  at  his  calamity.  When 
the  time  of  need  comes,  the  wells  which  he  stopped 
with  stones  yield  no  water  for  his  thirst.  Beware, 
when  you  despise  a  Scripture,  lest  you  cast  away  the 
only  friend  that  can  help  you  in  the  hour  of  agony. 

A  certain  German  duke  was  accustomed  to  call  upon 
his  servant  to  read  a  chapter  of  the  Bible  to  him  every 
morning.  When  anything  did  not  square  with  his 
judgment  he  would  sternly  cry,  "  Hans,  strike  that  out." 
At  length  Hans  was  a  long  time  before  he  began  to 
read.  He  fumbled  over  the  Book,  till  his  master  called 
out,  "  Hans,  why  do  you  not  read?"  Then  Hans  an- 
swered,  "  Sir,  there  is  hardly  anything  left.     It  is  all 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  571 

Struck  out !  "  One  day  his  master's  objections  had  run 
one  way,  and  another  day  they  had  taken  another  turn 
and  another  set  of  passages  had  been  blotted,  till  noth- 
ing was  left  to  instruct  or  comfort  him.  Let  us  not,  by 
carping  criticism,  destroy  our  own  mercies.  We  may 
yet  need  those  promises  which  appear  needless ;  and 
those  portions  of  Holy  Writ  which  have  been  most  as- 
sailed by  sceptics  may  yet  prove  essential  to  our  very 
life ;  wherefore  let  us  guard  the  priceless  treasure  of 
the  Bible,  and  determine  never  to  resign  a  single  line 
of  it. 

What  have  we  to  do  with  recondite  questions  while 
our  souls  are  in  peril  ?  The  way  to  escape  from  sin  is 
plain  enough.  The  wayfaring  man,  though  a  fool,  shall 
not  err  therein.  God  has  not  mocked  us  with  a  salva- 
tion which  we  cannot  understand.  Believe  and  live 
is  a  command  which  a  babe  may  comprehend  and  obey. 

Doubt  no  more,  but  now  believe ; 
Question  not,  but  just  receive. 
Artful  doubts  and  reasonings  be 
Nailed  with  Jesus  to  the  tree. 

Instead  of  cavilling  at  Scripture,  the  man  who  is  led 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  will  close  in  with  the  Lord  Jesus  at 
once.  Seeing  that  thousands  of  decent,  common-sense 
people — people,  too,  of  the  best  character — are  trust- 
ing their  all  with  Jesus,  he  will  do  the  same,  and  have 
done  with  further  delays.  Then  has  he  begun  a  life 
worth  living,  and  he  may  have  done  with  further  fear. 
He  may  at  once  advance  to  that  higher  and  better  way 
of  living,  which  grows  out  of  love  to  Jesus,  the  Saviour. 


672  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

Why  should  not  the  reader  do  so  at  once  ?  Oh  !  that 
he  would ! 

A  Newark,  New  Jersey,  butcher  received  a  letter 
from  his  old  home  in  Germany,  notifying  him  that  he  had 
by  the  death  of  a  relative  fallen  heir  to  a  considerable 
amount  of  money.  He  was  cutting  up  a  pig  at  the  time. 
After  reading  the  letter,  he  hastily  tore  off  his  dirty 
apron,  and  did  not  stop  to  see  the  pork  cut  up  into  sau- 
sages, but  left  the  shop  to  make  preparations  for  going 
home  to  Germany,  Do  you  blame  him,  or  would  you 
have  had  him  stop  in  Newark  with  his  block  and  his 
cleaver  ? 

See  here  the  operation  of  faith.  The  butcher  be- 
lieved what  was  told  him,  and  acted  on  it  at  once. 
Sensible  fellow,  too  ! 

God  has  sent  his  messages  to  man,  telling  him  the 
good  news  of  salvation.  When  a  man  believes  the 
good  news  to  be  true,  he  accepts  the  blessing  an- 
nounced to  him,  and  hastens  to  lay  hold  upon  it.  If 
he  truly  believes,  he  will  at  once  take  Christ,  with  all 
he  has  to  bestow,  turn  from  his  present  evil  ways  and 
set  out  for  the  Heavenly  City,  where  the  full  blessing 
is  to  be  enjoyed.  He  cannot  be  holy  too  soon,  or  too 
early  quit  the  ways  of  sin.  If  a  man  could  really  see 
what  sin  is,  he  would  flee  from  it  as  from  a  deadly 
serpent  and  rejoice  to  be  freed  from  it  by  Christ 
Jesus. 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  573 

GLIMPSES   OF  THE   HEAVENLY   LIFE. 

A  SERMON,  SUGGESTED  BY  THE  DECEASE  OF  THE  EARL  OF  SHAFTS- 
BURY,  OCT.  4,  1885,  AT  THE  METROPOLITAN  TABERNACLE. 

"  Now  that  the  dead  are  raised,  even  Moses  shewed  at  the  bush,  when 
he  calleth  the  Lord  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and 
the  God  of  Jacob.  For  He  is  not  a  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  Uving : 
for  all  live  unto  Him." — Luke  20:  37,  38. 

During  the  past  week  the  Church  of  God  and  the 
world  at  large  have  sustained  a  very  serious  loss.  In 
the  taking  home  to  Himself  by  our  gracious  Lord  of 
the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  we  have  in  my  judgment  lost 
the  best  man  of  the  age.  I  do  not  know  whom  I 
should  place  second  ;  but  I  certainly  should  put  him 
first — far  beyond  all  other  servants  of  God  within  my 
knowledge — for  usefulness  and  influence.  He  was  a 
man  most  true  in  his  personal  piety,  as  I  know  from 
having  enjoyed  his  private  friendship  ;  a  man  most 
firm  in  his  faith  in  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ; 
a  man  intensely  active  in  the  cause  of  God  and  truth. 
Take  him  whichever  way  you  please,  he  was  admirable  ; 
he  was  faithful  to  God  in  all  his  house,  fulfilling  both 
the  first  and  second  commands  of  the  law  in  fervent 
love  to  God  and  hearty  love  to  man. 

He  occupied  his  high  position  with  singleness  of 
purpose  and  immovable  steadfastness.  Where  shall 
we  find  his  equal  ?  If  it  is  not  possible  that  he  was 
absolutely  perfect,  it  is  equally  impossible  for  me  to 
mention  a  sinele  fault,  for  I  saw  none.  He  exhibited 
Scriptural  perfection,  inasmuch  as  he  was  sincere,  true 
and  consecrated.     Those  things  which  have  been  re- 


574  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

garded  as  faults  by  the  loose  thinkers  of  this  age  are 
prime  virtues  in  my  esteem. 

They  called  him  narrow ;  and  in  this  they  bear  un- 
conscious testimony  to  his  loyalty  to  truth.  I  rejoiced 
greatly  in  his  integrity,  his  fearlessness,  his  adherence 
to  principle,  in  a  day  when  revelation  is  questioned, 
the  gospel  explained  away,  and  human  thought  set  up 
as  the  idol  of  the  hour.  He  felt  that  there  was  a  vital 
and  eternal  difference  between  truth  and  error  ;  con- 
sequently he  did  not  act  or  talk  as  if  there  was  much 
to  be  said  on  either  side,  and,  therefore,  no  one  could 
be  quite  sure.  We  shall  not  know  for  how  many  a 
year  how  much  we  miss  in  missing  him ;  how  great  an 
anchor  he  was  to  this  drifting  generation  ;  and  how 
great  a  stimulus  he  was  to  every  movement  for  the 
benefit  of  the  poor. 

Both  man  and  beast  may  unite  in  mourning  him ;  he 
was  the  friend  of  every  living  thing.  He  lived  for  the 
oppressed ;  he  lived  for  London  ;  he  lived  for  the 
nation  ;  he  lived  still  more  for  God.  He  has  finished 
his  course  ;  and  though  we  do  not  lay  him  to  sleep  in 
the  grave  with  the  sorrow  of  those  that  have  no  hope, 
yet  we  cannot  but  mourn  that  a  great  man  and  a 
prince  has  fallen  this  day  in  Israel.  Surely  the  right- 
eous are  taken  away  from  the  evil  to  come,  and  we 
are  left  to  struggle  on  under  increasing  difficulties. 

Heaven  Unveiled. — My  text  not  only  declares 
glorious  relationship  and  implies  eternal  life,  but  it  also 
unveils,  somewhat  scantily  but  still  sufficiently,  what 
the  glorious  life  must  be.     Look,  then,  and  see    the 

GLORIOUS  LIFE   UNVEILED. 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  575 

It  is  clear  that  they  Hve  personally.  It  is  not  said, 
"lam  the  God  of  the  whole  body  of  the  saints  in  one 
mass  ; "  but,  "  I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob." 
God  will  make  his  people  live  individually.  My  mother, 
my  father,  my  child,  each  will  personally  exist  God 
is  the  God  of  saints  as  living  distinct  lives  ;  Abraham 
is  Abraham,  Isaac  is  Isaac,  Jacob  is  Jacob.  The  three 
patriarchs  were  not  all  melted  into  one  common 
Abraham,  nor  Isaac  into  one  imaginary  Isaac  ;  neither 
was  any  one  so  altered  as  to  cease  to  be  himself. 
Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob  are  all  literally  living  as 
actual  men,  and  the  same  men  as  they  used  to  be. 
Jacob  is  Jacob,  and  not  an  echo  of  Abraham ;  Isaac  is 
Isaac,  and  not  a  rehearsal  of  Jacob.  All  the  saints  are 
existent  in  their  personality,  identity,  distinction  and 
idiosyncrasy. 

What  is  more,  the  patriarchs  are  mentioned  by  their 
names;  and  so  it  is  clear  they  are  known;  they  are  not 
three  anonymous  bodies,  but  Abraham,  Isaac  and 
Jacob.  Many  inquire,  "  Shall  we  know  our  friends  in 
Heaven?"  Why  should  we  not?  the  saints  in 
heaven  are  never  spoken  of  in  Scripture  as  moving 
about  anonymously  ;  but  their  names  are  spoken  of 
as  written  in  the  Book  of  Life.  Why  is  this  ?  The 
apostles  knew  Moses  and  Elias  on  the  Mount,  though 
they  had  never  seen  them  before.  I  cannot  forget  old 
John  Ryland's  answer  to  his  wife.  "John,"  she  said, 
"will  you  know  me  in  heaven?"  "Betty,"  he  re- 
plied, "  I  have  known  you  well  here,  and  I  shall  not  be 
a  bigger  fool  in  heaven  than  I  am  now ;    therefore  I 


576  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

shall  certainly  know  you  there."  That  seems  to  be 
clear  enough. 

We  read  in  the  New  Testament,  "They  shall  sit 
down  with  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob  in  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  " — not  sit  down  with  three  unknown  indi- 
viduals in  iron  masks,  or  three  impersonalities  who 
make  a  part  of  the  great  Pan,  nor  three  spirits  who 
are  as  exactly  alike  as  pins  made  in  a  factory ;  but 
Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob.  That  is  clear  enough  in 
the  text. 

That  glorious  life,  while  it  is  a  personal  and  a  known 
life,  is  2X^0  free  fi'om  all  sorrow  and  misery  and  earthly 
grossness.  They  are  neither  married  nor  given  in 
marriage,  neither  shall  they  die  any  more ;  but  they 
are  as  the  angels  of  God.  It  is  a  life  of  perfect  blessed- 
ness, a  life  of  hallowed  worship,  a  life  of  undivided 
glory.  Oh  that  we  were  in  it!  Oh  that  we  may  soon 
reach  it !  Let  us  think  of  the  many  who  are  enjoying 
it  now,  and  of  those  who  have  attained  to  it  during  the 
last  few  days.  I  am  sure  they  are  at  home  in  every 
golden  street,  and  fully  engaged  in  the  adoration  and 
worship  of  their  Lord. 

Those  saints  who  have  been  in  glory  now  these 
thousands  of  years  cannot  be  more  blessed  than  the 
latest  arrivals.  Within  a  very  short  space  you  and  I 
shall  be  among  the  shining  ones.  Some  of  us  may 
spend  our  next  Sabbath  with  the  angels.  Let  us  re- 
joice and  be  glad  at  the  bare  thought  of  it.  Some  of 
us  are  not  doomed  to  live  here  through  another  win- 
ter ;  we  shall  pass  beyond  these  autumn  fogs  into  the 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  577 

golden  light  of  the  eternal  summer  before  another 
Christmas  day  has  come.  Oh,  the  joy  which  ought  to 
thrill  through  our  souls  at  the  thought  of  such  amazing 
bliss ! 

Still  Living. — And  now,  taking  the  whole  subject 
together,  I  want  to  say  a  few  familiar  things  about  the 
influence  which  all  this  ought  to  have  upon  us. 

Concerning  those  that  have  gone  before  us,  we 
gather  from  this  whole  text  that  they  are  not  lost ;  we 
know  where  they  are.  Neither  have  they  lost  any- 
thing ;  for  they  are  what  they  were,  and  more.  Abra- 
ham has  about  him  still  everything  that  is  Abrahamic, 
he  is  Abraham  still ;  and  Isaac  has  everything  about 
him  that  properly  belongs  to  Isaac ;  and  Jacob  has  all 
about  him  that  makes  him  God's  Israel.  These  good 
men  have  lost  nothing  that  really  appertained  to  their 
individuality,  nothing  that  made  them  precious  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord.  They  have  gained  infinitely,  they  have 
developed  gloriously.  They  are  Abraham  and  Isaac 
and  Jacob,  now  at  their  best ;  or,  rather,  they  are  wait- 
ing till  the  trumpet  of  the  resurrection  shall  sound, 
when  their  bodies  also  shall  be  united  to  their  spirits, 
and  then  Abraham  and  Isaac  and  Jacob  will  be  com- 
pletely Abraham  and  Isaac  and  Jacob  world  with- 
out end. 

We  are  by  no  means  deprived  of  our  dear  ones  by 
their  death  ;  they  are  ;  they  are  themselves  ;  and  they 
are  ours  still.  As  Abraham  is  not  lost  to  Isaac,  nor 
to  Jacob,  nor  to  God,  nor  to  himself,  so  are  our  be- 
loved ones  by  no  means  lost  to  us.     Do   not  let  us 

37 


678  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

think  of  them,  then,  as  if  they  were  lost.  I  know 
your  sorrows  make  an  excursion  to  the  grave,  to  look 
there  for  the  deceased  ones.  You  want  to  lift  that 
coffin-lid  and  to  unwrap  the  shroud.  Oh,  do  not  so  ! 
do  not  so  !  He  is  not  here  ;  the  real  man  has  gone. 
He  may  be  dead  to  you  for  a  while,  but  he  lives  unto 
God.  Yes,  the  dead  one  liveth,  he  liveth  unto  God! 
Do  but  anticipate  the  passage  of  that  little  time,  which 
is  almost  gone  while  I  am  speaking  of  it,  and  then 
your  Saviour's  angels  shall  sound  their  golden 
trumpets,  and  at  the  welcome  noise  the  grave  shall 
open  its  portals  and  resign  its  captives.  "Thy  brother 
shall  rise  again."  Wherefore  comfort  one  another 
with  these  words. 

Shaftesbury  is  as  much  Shaftesbury  as  ever,  and 
even  more  so.  We  have  parted  with  the  earl,  but  the 
saint  liveth ;  he  has  gone  past  yonder  veil  into  the 
next  room,  and  there  he  is  before  the  Lord  of  Hosts. 
He  has  gone  out  of  this  dim,  dusky,  cloudy  chamber 
into  the  bright  pearly  light  that  streameth  from  the 
throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb.  We  have  nothing 
to  sorrow  about  in  reference  to  what  he  is  or  where 
he  is. 

So,  too,  your  valued  parents,  and  beloved  children, 
and  choice  friends,  they  are  yours  still.  Herein  is  great 
cause  for  thankfulness.  Put  aside  your  sackcloth  and 
wear  the  garments  of  hope ;  lay  down  the  sackbut,  and 
take  up  the  trumpet.  Draw  not  the  beloved  bodies  to 
the  cemetery  with  dreary  pomp  and  with  black  horses, 
but  cover  the  coffin  with  sweet  flowers  and  drape  the 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  679 

horses  with  the  emblems  of  hope.  It  is  the  better 
birthday  of  the  saint — yea,  his  truer  wedding-day.  Is 
it  sad  to  have  done  with  sadness  ?  Is  it  sorrowful  to 
part  with  sorrow  ?  Nay  rather,  when  joy  begin neth 
to  our  friends  where  glory  dwelleth  in  Immanuel's 
land,  we  may  in  sympathy  sing,  as  it  were,  a  new  song 
and  tune  our  harps  to  the  melodies  of  the  glorified. 

One  with  ics. — I  want  you  also  to  recollect  that  the 
departed  have  not  become  inembei^s  of  another  race ,  they 
have  not  been  transferred  into  another  family.  They 
are  still  men,  still  women,  still  of  our  kindred  dear ; 
their  names  are  in  the  same  family  register  on  earth 
and  in  heaven.  Oh,  no,  no  !  Do  not  dream  that  they 
are  separated  and  exiled  ;  they  have  gone  to  the  home 
country.  We  are  the  exiles ;  they  it  is  who  are  at 
home.  We  are  en  route  for  the  fatherland  ;  they  are 
not  so  far  from  us  as  we  think. 

Sin  worked  to  divide  them  from  us,  and  us  from 
them,  while  we  were  here  together ;  but  since  sin  is 
now  taken  away  from  them,  one  dividing  element  is 
gone.  When  it  is  also  removed  from  us,  we  shall  be 
nearer  to  each  other  than  we  could  have  been  while 
we  were  both  sinful.  Do  not  let  us  think  of  them  as 
sundered  far,  for  we  are  one  in  Christ. 

And  they  are  not  gone  over  to  the  other  side  in  the 
battle.  Oh,  do  not  speak  of  them  as  dead  and  lying  on 
the  battle-field  !  They  live  ;  they  live  in  sympathy  with 
our  divine  conflict !  They  have  marched  through  the 
enemy's  country ;  they  have  fought  their  fight  and  taken 
possession  of  their  inheritance.     They  are  still  on  our 


680  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

side,  though  we  miss  them  from  the  daily  service.  When 
you  number  up  the  host  of  God,  you  must  not  forget 
the  godhke  bands  that  have  fought  the  good  fight,  and 
kept  the  faith,  and  finished  their  course.  They  are  in 
the  armies  of  the  Lord,  though  not  at  this  moment 
resisting  unto  blood.  The  hundred  and  fourty-four 
thousand  sealed  unto  the  Lord  include  in  their  ranks 
all  who  are  with  God,  whether  here  or  in  heaven.  Our 
sacramental  host  marches  onward  to  the  New  Jeru- 
salem. 

Certain  of  the  legionaries  have  forded  the  dividing 
flood.  I  see  them  ascending  the  other  side  !  The 
hither  bank  of  the  river  is  white  with  their  rising  com- 
panies. Lo,  I  hear  the  splash  of  the  ranks  before  us 
as  they  steadily  pass  down  the  hill  into  the  chill  stream  ! 
In  deep  silence  we  see  them  solemnly  wading  through 
the  billows!  The  host  is  ever  marching  on,  marching 
on.  The  much-dreaded  stream  lies  a  little  before  us ; 
it  is  but  a  silver  streak.  We  are  to  the  margin  come. 
We  shudder  not  at  the  prospect.  We  follow  the 
.blessed  footsteps  of  our  Lord  and  His  redeemed.  We 
are  all  one  army  still ;  we  are  not  losing  our  men  ; 
they  are  simply  ascending  from  the  long  campaign  to 
take  their  endless  rewards  at  the  Lord's  right  hand. 

What  shall  we  do? — What  then?  Why,  then  we 
will  take  up  their  work.  If  they  have  gone  into  the 
upper  chamber  to  rest,  we  will  make  up  their  lack  of 
service  in  this  lower  room.  The  work  they  did  was  so 
human  that  we  will  not  allow  a  stitch  to  drop,  but  take 
it  up  where  they  left  it  and  persevere  in  earnest.    They 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  581 

are  in  glory,  but  they  were  not  glorified  when  they 
were  here. 

The  work  they  did  was  done  by  men  of  such  infirm- 
ities as  ours ;  so  let  us  not  fear  to  go  on  where  they 
left  off  and  perpetuate  the  work  which  they  rejoiced 
in.  There  lies  the  plough  in  furrow,  and  the  oxen  are 
standing  still ;  for  Shamgar,  the  champion,  is  gone. 
Will  no  one  lay  hold  of  the  plough-handles  ?  Will 
nobody  urge  the  oxen  with  the  goad?  Young  men, 
are  you  idling  ?  Here  is  work  for  you.  Are  you  hid- 
ing yourselves  ? 

Come  forward,  I  pray  you,  in  the  name  of  the  Great 
Husbandman,  and  let  the  fields  be  tilled  and  sown  with 
the  good  seed.  Who  will  fill  the  gap  made  by  death  ? 
Who  will  be  baptized  for  the  dead  ?  Who  will  bear 
the  banner,  now  that  a  standard-bearer  has  fallen  ?  I 
hope  some  consecrated  voice  will  answer,  "  Here  am 
I;  send  me  !  " 

For,  last  of  all,  brethren,  we  may  expect  the  same  suc- 
cors as  they  received  who  have  gone  before.  Jehovah 
saith  that  He  is  the  God  of  Abraham,  the  God  of 
Isaac  and  the  God  of  Jacob ;  but  He  also  saith,  "  I 
am  the  God  of  your  father."  The  father  of  Moses 
had  the  Lord  to  be  his  God.  That  God  is  the  God  of 
my  father,  blessed  be  His  name !  As  I  took  the  old  man 
by  his  hand  yesterday,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three,  I 
could  not  but  rejoice  in  all  the  fulness  of  the  Lord  to 
him  and  to  his  house.  He  was  the  God  of  my  father's 
father  also.  I  cannot  forget  how  the  venerable  man 
laid  his  hand  upon  his  grandchild  and  blessed  him ; 


582  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

and  the  blessing  is  with  Him  still.  Yes,  and  He  is  the 
God  of  my  children,  and  He  is  the  God  of  my  chil- 
dren's children  ;  for  He  keepeth  covenant  to  thou- 
sands of  them  that  love  Him. 

Wherefore  take  courage,  men  and  brethren  !  This 
God  is  your  God.  He  is  a  God  to  you,  and  you  are  a 
people  to  Him.  Act  as  His  true  servants.  Live  as 
those  that  are  elect.  If  you  are  His  choice,  be  choice 
characters.  The  chosen  should  be  the  best,  should  they 
not?  The  elect  should  be  especially  distinguished 
above  all  others  by  their  conversation  and  their  fervent 
zeal  for  Him  that  chose  them.  As  you  shall  rise  from 
among  the  dead  because  the  Lord  Jesus  hath  redeemed 
you  from  among  men,  so  stand  up  from  among  the 
dead  and  corrupt  mass  of  this  world  and  be  alive  unto 
God  through  Jesus  Christ  your  Lord.  What  manner 
of  people  ought  ye  to  be  who  serve  the  living  God  ? 
Since  the  living  God  hath  manifested  Himself  so  won- 
derfully to  you,  ought  you  not  to  live  unto  Him  to  the 
utmost  ? 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  583 


THE  BIBLE. 


All  things  in  the  Bible  are  great.  Some  people 
think  it  does  not  matter  what  doctrines  you  believe  ; 
that  it  is  immaterial  what  church  you  attend ;  that  all 
denominations  are  alike.  Well,  I  dislike  Mrs.  Bigotry 
above  almost  all  people  in  the  world,  and  I  never  give 
her  any  compliment  or  praise.  But  there  is  another 
woman  I  hate  equally  as  much,  and  that  is  Mrs.  Lati- 
tudinarianism,  a  well-known  character,  who  has  made 
the  discovery  that  all  of  us  are  alike. 

I  think  that  all  sections  of  Protestant  Christians 
have  a  remnant  according  to  the  election  of  grace, 
and  they  had  need  to  have,  some  of  them,  a  little  salt, 
for  otherwise  they  would  go  to  corruption.  But  when 
I  say  that,  do  you  imagine  that  I  think  them  all  on  a 
level  ?  Are  they  all  alike  truthful  ?  One  sect  says 
infant  baptism  is  right ;  another  says  it  is  wrong ;  yet 
you  say  they  are  both  right.  I  cannot  see  that.  One 
teaches  we  are  saved  by  free  grace  ;  another  says  that 
we  are  not,  but  are  saved  by  free  will ;  and  yet  you 
believe  they  are  both  right.  I  do  not  understand  that. 
One  says  that  God  loves  His  people  and  never  leaves 
off  loving  them ;  another  says  that  He  did  not  love 
His  people  before  they  loved  Him ;  and  that  He  often 
loves  them,  and  then  ceases  to  love  them  and  turns 
them  away.  They  may  be  both  right  in  the  main ; 
but  can  they  be  both  right  when  one  says  "Yes,"  and 
the  other  says  "No?"  I  must  have  a  pair  of  spec- 
tacles to  enable  me  to  look  backwards  and  forwards 
at  the  same  time  before  I  can  see  that. 


684  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

Did  ever  any  of  you  sit  down  to  see  which  was  the 
purest  religion?  "Oh,"  say  you,  "we  never  took  the 
trouble.  We  went  just  where  our  father  and  mother 
went."  Ah,  that  is  a  profound  reason  indeed !  You 
went  where  you  father  and  mother  did.  I  thought  you 
were  sensible  people  ;  I  didn't  think  you  went  where 
other  people  pulled  you,  but  went  of  your  own  selves. 
I  love  my  parents  above  all  that  breathe,  and  the  very 
thought  that  they  believed  a  thing  to  be  true  helps  me 
to  think  it  is  correct ;  but  I  have  not  followed  them.  I 
belong  to  a  different  denomination,  and  I  thank  God  I 
do.  I  can  receive  them  as  Christian  brethren  and  sis- 
ters ;  but  I  never  thought  because  they  happened  to 
be  one  thing  I  was  to  be  the  same.  No  such  thing. 
God  gave  me  brains  and  I  will  use  them  ;  and  if  you 
have  any  intellect,  use  it  too. 

Never  say  it  doesn't  matter.  It  does  matter.  What- 
ever God  has  put  here  is  of  eminent  importance.  He 
would  not  have  written  a  thing  that  was  indifferent. 
Whatever  is  here  is  of  some  value  ;  therefore,  search 
all  questions  ;  try  all  by  the  Word  of  God.  I  am  not 
afraid  to  have  what  I  preach  tried  by  this  book.  Only 
give  me  a  fair  field  and  no  favor  and  this  book  ;  if  I 
say  anything  contrary  to  it,  I  will  withdraw  it  the  next 
Sabbath-day.  By  this  I  stand,  by  this  I  fall.  Search 
and  see  ;  but  don't  say,  "  It  does  not  matter."  If  God 
says  a  thing,  it  must  always  be  of  importance. 

But  while  all  things  in  God's  Word  are  important, 
all  are  not  equally  important.  There  are  certain  funda- 
mental and  vital  truths  which  must  be  believed,  or 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  685 

Otherwise  no  man  would  be  saved.  If  you  want  to 
know  what  you  must  believe  if  ye  would  be  saved,  you 
will  find  the  great  things  of  God's  law  between  these 
two  covers  ;  they  are  all  contained  here.  As  a  sort  of 
digest  or  summary  of  the  great  things  of  the  law,  I 
remember  an  old  friend  of  mine  once  saying:  "Ah, 
you  preach  the  three  R's,  and  God  will  always  bless 
you!"  I  said:  "  What  are  the  three  R's  ?  "  And  he 
answered :  "  Ruin,  redemption  and  regeneration." 
They  contain  the  sum  and  substance  of  divinity.  R 
for  ruin.  We  were  all  ruined  in  the  fall ;  we  were  all 
lost  when  Adam  sinned,  and  we  are  all  ruined  by  our 
own-  transgression  ;  we  are  all  ruined  by  our  own 
wicked  wills  ;  and  we  all  shall  be  ruined  unless  grace 
saves  us. 

Then  there  is  a  second  R  for  redemption.  We  are 
ransomed  by  the  blood  of  Christ — a  Lamb  without 
blemish  and  without  spot ;  we  are  rescued  by  His 
power ;  we  are  ransomed  by  His  merits  ;  we  are  re- 
deemed by  His  strength.  Then  there  is  R  for  regen- 
eration. If  we  would  be  pardoned,  we  must  also  be 
regenerated ;  for  no  man  can  partake  of  redemption 
unless  he  is  regenerate.  Let  him  be  as  good  as  he 
pleases,  let  him  serve  God,  as  he  imagines,  as  much 
as  he  likes  ;  unless  he  is  regenerate,  and  has  a  new 
heart,  a  new  birth,  he  will  still  be  in  the  first  R — that 
is,  ruin.  These  things  contain  an  epitome  of  the 
gospel. 

God  says  :  "I  have  written  to  him  the  great  things 
of  My  law."     Do  you  doubt  their  greatness?     Do  ye 


586  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

think  they  are  not  worth  your  attention  ?  Reflect  a 
moment,  man !  Where  art  thou  standing  now  ?  I 
recollect  standing  on  a  seashore  once,  upon  a  nar- 
row neck  of  land,  thoughtless  that  the  tide  might 
come  up.  The  tide  kept  continually  washing  up  on 
eithar  side,  and,  rapt  in  thought,  I  still  stood  there, 
until  at  last  there  was  the  greatest  difficulty  in  getting 
on  shore  ;  the  waves  had  washed  between  me  and  the 
shore.  You  and  I  stand  each  day  on  a  narrow  neck, 
and  there  is  one  wave  coming  up  there.  See,  how 
near  it  is  to  your  foot !  And  lo  !  another  follows  at 
every  tick  of  the  clock.  "Our  hearts,like  muffleddrums, 
are  beating  funeral  marches  to  the  grave."  We  are 
always  tending  downward  to  the  grave  each  moment 
that  we  live.  This  book  tells  me  that  if  I  am  con- 
verted, when  I  die  there  is  a  heaven  of  joy  and  love 
to  receive  me ;  it  tells  me  that  angels'  pinions  shall 
be  stretched,  and  I,  borne  by  strong  cherubic  wings, 
shall  out-soar  the  lightning,,  and  mount  beyond  the 
stars,  up  to  the  throne  of  God,  to  dwell  for  ever 

Far  from  a  world  of  grief  and  sin, 
With  God  eternally  shut  in. 

Oh,  it  makes  the  hot  tear  start  from  my  eye  !  It 
makes  my  heart  too  big  for  this  my  body,  and  my 
brain  whirls  at  the  thought  of 

Jerusalem,  my  happy  home, 
Name  ever  dear  to  me. 

Oh,  that  sweet  scene  beyond  the  clouds — sweet  fields 
arrayed  in  living  green,  and  rivers  of  delight !  Are 
not  these  great  things  ? 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPUEGEON.  587 

Now  notice  the  treatment  which  the  holy  Bible  re- 
ceives in  this  world.  It  is  accounted  a  strange  thinof. 
What  does  that  mean — the  Bible  accounted  a  strange 
thing?  In  the  first  place,  it  means  that  it  is  very- 
strange  to  some  people,  because  they  never  read  it. 
I  remember  reading  on  one  occasion  the  sacred  story 
of  David  and  Goliath,  and  there  was  a  person  present, 
positively  grown  up  to  years  of  maturity,  who  said  to 
me :  "  Dear  me  !  what  an  interesting  story  ;  what  book 
is  that  in?" 

And  I  recollect  a  person  once  coming  to  me  in  pri- 
vate. I  spoke  to  her  about  her  soul ;  she  told  me 
how  deeply  she  felt,  how  she  had  a  desire  to  serve 
God,  but  she  found  another  law  in  her  members.  I 
turned  to  a  passage  in  Romans,  and  read  to  her : 
"  The  good  that  I  would,  I  do  not ;  and  the  evil  which 
I  would  not,  that  I  do!"  She  said:  "Isthatin  the  Bible? 
I  did  not  know  it."  I  did  not  blame  her,  because  she 
had  no  interest  in  the  Bible  till  then  ;  but  I  did  wonder 
that  there  could  be  found  persons  who  knew  nothing 
about  such  a  passage. 

Ah !  you  know  more  about  your  ledgers  than  your 
Bible ;  you  know  more  about  your  day-books  than 
what  God  has  written.  Many  of  you  will  read  a  novel 
from  beginning  to  end,  and  what  have  you  got?  A 
mouthful  of  froth  when  you  have  done.  But  you  can- 
not read  the  Bible ;  that  solid,  lasting,  substantial  and 
satisfying  food  goes  uneaten,  locked  up  in  the  cup- 
board of  neglect;  while  anything  that  man  writes,  a 
catch  of  the  day,  is  greedily  devoured.     "  I  have  writ- 


688  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

ten  unto  him  the  great  things  of  my  law,  but  they  were 
counted  as  a  strange  thing."  Ye  have  never  read  it. 
I  bring  the  broad  charge  against  you.  Perhaps  ye 
say  I  ought  not  to  charge  you  with  any  such  thing.  I 
always  think  it  better  to  have  a  worse  opinion  of  you 
than  too  good  an  one. 

I  charge  you  with  this  :  you  do  not  read  your  Bible. 
Some  of  you  never  have  read  it  through.  I  know  I 
speak  what  your  heart  must  say  is  honest  truth.  You 
are  not  Bible-readers.  You  say  you  have  the  Bible  in 
your  houses  ;  do  I  think  you  are  such  heathens  as  not 
to  have  a  Bible  ?  But  when  did  you  read  it  last  ? 
How  do  you  know  that  your  spectacles,  which  you 
have  lost,  have  not  been  there  for  the  last  three  years  ? 
Many  people  have  not  turned  over  its  pages  for  a  long 
time,  and  God  might  say  unto  them  :  "  I  have  written 
unto  you  the  great  things  of  My  law,  but  they  have 
been  accounted  unto  you  a  strange  thing." 

Others  there  be  who  read  the  Bible,  but  when  they 
read  it  they  say  it  is  so  horribly  dry.  That  young  man 
over  there  says  it  is  a  "bore;"  that  is  the  word  he 
uses.  He  says,  "  My  mother  said  to  me,  'When  you 
go  up  to  town,  read  a  chapter  every  day.'  Well,  I 
thought  I  would  please  her,  and  I  said  I  would.  I  am 
sure  I  wish  I  had  not.  I  did  not  read  a  chapter  yes- 
terday or  the  day  before.  We  were  so  busy.  I  could 
not  help  it."  You  do  not  love  the  Bible,  do  you  ? 
"  No ;  there  is  nothing  in  it  which  is  interesting." 
Ah!  I  thought  so.  But  a  little  while  ago  /could  not 
see  anything  in  it.     Do  you  know  why  ?     Blind  men 


EEV  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  589 

cannot  see,  can  they  ?  But  when  the  Spirit  touches 
the  scales  of  the  eyes  they  fall  off,  and  when  He  puts 
eye-salve  on,  then  the  Bible  becomes  precious. 

I  remember  a  minister  who  went  to  see  an  old  lady, 
and  he  thought  he  would  give  her  some  precious 
promises  out  of  the  Word  of  God.  Turning  to  one, 
he  saw  written  in  the  margin,  "  P.,"  and  he  asked, 
"What  does  this  mean?"  "That  means  precious, 
sir."  Further  down  he  saw  "  T.  and  P.,"  and  he  asked 
what  the  letters  meant.  "That,"  she  said,  "means 
tried  and  proved,  for  I  have  tried  and  proved  it."  If 
you  have  tried  God's  Word  and  proved  it;  if  it  is  pre- 
cious to  your  souls,  then  you  are  Christians  ,  but  those 
persons  who  despise  the  Bible  have  "  neither  part  nor 
lot  in  the  matter."  If  it  is  dry  to  you,  you  will  be  dry 
at  last  in  hell.  If  you  do  not  esteem  it  as  better  than 
your  necessary  food,  there  is  no  hope  for  you,  for  you 
lack  the  greatest  evidence  of  your  Christianity. 

Alas!  alas!  the  worst  case  is  to  come.  There  are 
some  people  who  hate  the  Bible,  as  well  as  despise  it. 
Is  there  such  an  one  stepped  in  here  ?  Some  of  you 
said  :  "  Let  us  go  and  hear  what  the  young  preacher 
has  to  say  to  us."  This  is  what  he  hath  to  say  to  you  : 
"  Behold,  ye  despisers,  and  wonder  and  perish."  This 
is  what  he  hath  to  say  to  you  :  "The  wicked  shall  be 
turned  into  hell,  and  all  that  forget  God."  And  this, 
again,  he  has  to  say  to  you  :  "  Behold  there  shall  come 
in  the  last  days  mockers  like  yourselves,  walking  after 
your  own  lusts."  But  more  :  he  tells  you  that  if  you 
are  saved,  you  must  find  salvation   here.     Therefore 


590  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

despise  not  the  Bible,  but  search  it,  read  it,  and  come 
unto  it. 

Rest  thee  well  assured,  O  scorner,  that  thy  laughs 
cannot  alter  truth,  thy  jests  cannot  avert  thine  inevit- 
able doom.  Though  in  thy  hardihood  thou  shouldst 
make  a  leagfue  with  death  and  siofn  a  covenant  with 
hell,  yet  swift  justice  shall  o'ertake  thee,  and  strong 
vengeance  strike  thee  low.  In  vain  dost  thou  jeer 
and  mock,  for  eternal  verities  are  mightier  than  thy 
sophistries ;  nor  can  thy  smart  saying  alter  the  divine 
truth  of  a  single  word  of  this  volume  of  revelation. 
Oh !  why  dost  thou  quarrel  with  thy  best  friend  and 
ill-treat  thy  only  refuge?  There  yet  remains  hope 
even  for  the  scorner — hope  in  a  Saviour's  veins;  hope 
in  the  Father's  mercy;  hope  in  the  Holy  Spirit's 
omnipotent  agency. 

My  friend  the  philosopher  says  it  may  be  very  well 
for  me  to  urge  people  to  read  the  Bible  ;  but  he  thinks 
there  are  a  great  many  sciences  far  more  interesting 
and  useful  than  theology.  Extremely  obliged  to  you 
for  your  opinion,  sir.  What  science  do  you  mean  ? 
The  science  of  dissecting  beetles  and  arranging  butter- 
flies? "  No,"  you  say,  "certainly  not."  The  science, 
then,  of  arrang-Inof  stones  and  telllno-  us  of  the  strata  of 
the  earth?  "No,  not  exactly  that."  Which  science, 
then  ?  "Oh,  all  sciences,"  say  you,  "are  better  than 
the  science  of  the  Bible."  Ah,  sir,  that  is  your  opinion; 
and  it  is  because  you  are  far  from  God  that  you  say  so. 
But  the  science  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  most  excellent 
of  sciences. 


REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  591 

REV.  C.  H.  SPURGEON'S  LAST  SERMON. 

The  closing  words  of  the  last  sermon  Mr.  Spurgeon  preached  to  his 
congregation  in  London,  are  given  elsewhere  in  this  volunie.  The  fol- 
lowing is  the  last  sermon  he  ever  preached,  and  has  a  pathetic  interest 
from  the  fact  that  with  this  discourse  his  lips  were  sealed.  He  deliv- 
ered two  addresses  to  the  friends  assembled  at  Mentone — one  on  the 
last  evening  of  1891  by  way  of  retrospect,  and  the  other  on  the  first 
morning  of  the  new  year  by  way  of  prospect.  He  delivered  both 
addresses  sitting,  and  the  following  is  his  New  Year's  discourse  : 

Passing  at  this  hour  over  the  threshold  of  the  New 
Year,  we  look  forward,  and  what  do  we  see  ?  Could 
we  procure  a  telescope  which  would  enable  us  to  see 
to  the  end  of  the  year,  should  we  be  wise  to  use  it? 
I  think  not.  We  know  nothing  of  the  events  which 
lie  before  us — of  life  or  death  to  ourselves  or  to  our 
friends,  or  of  changes  of  position,  or  of  sickness  or 
health.  What  a  mercy  that  these  things  are  hidden 
from  us! 

If  we  foresaw  our  best  blessings,  they  would  lose 
their  freshness  and  sweetness  while  we  impatiently 
waited  for  them.  Anticipation  would  sour  into  weari- 
ness, and  familiarity  would  breed  contempt.  If  we 
could  foresee  our  troubles,  we  should  worry  ourselves 
about  them  long  before  they  came,  and  in  that  fretful- 
ness  we  should  miss  the  joy  of  our  present  blessings. 
Great  mercy  has  hung  up  a  veil  between  us  and  the 
future  ;  and  there  let  it  hang. 

Still,  all  is  not  concealed.  Some  things  we  clearly 
see.  I  say,  "we ;  "  but  I  mean  those  whose  eyes  have 
been  opened,  for  it  is  not  every  one  who  can  see  in 
the  truest  sense.  A  lady  said  to  Mr.  Turner :  "  I  have 
often  looked  upon  that  prospect,  but  I  have  never  seen 


692  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

what  you  have  put  into  your  picture."  The  great 
artist  simply  replied,  "Don't  you  wish  you  could  see 
it?"  Looking  into  the  future  with  the  eye  of  faith, 
believers  can  see  much  that  is  hidden  from  those  who 
have  no  faith.  Let  me  tell  you,  in  a  few  words,  what 
I  see  as  I  look  into  the  new  year. 

I  see  a  highway  cast  up  by  the  foreknowledge  and 
predestination  of  God.  Nothing  of  the  future  is  left 
to  chance  ;  nay,  not  the  falling  of  a  sparrow,  nor  the 
losing  of  a  hair  is  left  to  haphazard ;  but  all  the  events 
of  life  are  arranged  and  appointed.  Not  only  is  every 
turn  in  the  road  marked  in  the  divine  map,  but  every 
stone  on  the  road  and  every  drop  of  morning  dew  or 
evening  mist  that  falls  upon  the  grass  which  grows  at 
the  roadside.  We  are  not  to  cross  a  trackless  desert ; 
the  Lord  has  ordained  our  path  in  His  infallible  wis- 
dom and  infinite  love.  "The  steps  of  a  good  man  are 
ordered  by  the  Lord  ;  and  he  delighteth  in  his  way." 

I  see,  next,  a  Guide  provided,  as  our  companion 
along  the  way.  To  Him  we  gladly  say,  "Thou  shalt 
guide  me  with  Thy  counsel."  He  is  waiting  to  go  with 
us  through  every  portion  of  the  road.  *'  The  Lord,  He  it 
is  that  doth  go  before  thee ;  He  will  be  with  thee  ;  He 
will  not  fail  thee."  We  are  not  left  to  pass  through  life 
as  though  it  were  alone  wilderness,  a  place  of  dragons 
and  owls  ;  for  Jesus  says,  "  I  will  not  leave  you  com- 
fortless ;  I  will  come  to  you." 

Though  we  should  lose  father  and  mother,  and  the 
dearest  friends,  there  is  One  who  wears  our  nature, 
who  will  never  quit  our  side.     One  like  unto  the  Son 


EEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  593 

of  Man  is  still  treading  the  lifeways  of  believing  hearts, 
and  each  true  believer  cometh  up  from  the  wilderness, 
leaning  upon  the  Beloved.  We  feel  the  presence  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  even  now,  in  this  room,  where  two  or 
three  are  gathered  in  His  name,  and  I  trust  we  shall 
feel  it  through  all  the  months  of  the  year,  whether  it 
be  the  time  of  the  singing  of  birds,  or  the  season  of 
ripe  fruits,  or  the  dark  months  when  the  clods  are 
frozen  into  iron. 

In  this  Riviera  we  ought  the  more  readily  to  realize 
our  Lord's  presence,  because  the  country  is  so  like 
"  Thy  land,  O  Immanuel !"  Here  is  the  land  of  oil, 
olive  and  of  figs  and  of  the  clusters  of  Eshcol.  By 
such  a  blue  sea  He  walked  and  up  such  rocky  hills 
He  climbed.  But  whether  here  or  elsewhere,  let  us 
look  for  Him  to  abide  with  us,  to  make  this  year  truly 
to  be  "  a  year  of  our  Lord." 

Beside  the  way  and  the  Guide,  I  perceive  very 
clearly,  by  the  eye  of  faith,  strength  for  the  journey 
provided.  Throughout  the  whole  distance  of  the  year, 
we  shall  find  halting-places,  where  we  may  rest  and 
take  refreshment  and  then  go  on  our  v/ay  singing  "  He 
restoreth  my  soul."  We  shall  have  strength  enough, 
bnt  none  to  spare ;  and  that  strength  will  come  when 
it  is  needed  and  not  before.  When  saints  imagine 
that  they  have  strength  to  spare,  they  turn  sinners, 
and  are  apt  to  have  their  locks  shorn  by  the  Philistines. 
The  Lord  of  the  way  will  find  the  pilgrims  with  suffi- 
cient spending-money  for  the  road ;  but  He  may  not 
think  it  wise  to  burden  them  with  superfluous  funds. 
38 


694  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

God  all-sufficient  will  not  fail  those  who  trust  Him. 
When  we  come  to  the  place  for  shouldering  the  bur- 
den, we  shall  reach  the  place  for  receiving  the  strength. 
If  it  pleases  the  Lord  to  multiply  our  troubles  from 
one  to  ten,  He  will  increase  our  strength  in  the  same 
proportion.  To  each  believer  the  Lord  still  says : 
"As  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be."  You  do  not 
feel  that  you  have  the  grace  to  die  with  ;  what  of  that  ? 
You  are  not  yet  dying.  While  you  have  yet  to  deal 
with  the  business  and  duty  of  life, 'look  to  God  for  the 
grace  which  these  require  ;  and  when  life  is  ebbing 
out,  and  your  only  thought  is  about  landing  on  the 
eternal  shore,  then  look  to  God  your  Saviour  for 
dying  grace  in  dying  moments.  We  may  expect  an 
inrush  of  Divine  strength  when  human  strength  is 
failing,  and  a  daily  impartation  of  energy  as  daily  need 
requires.  Our  lamps  shall  be  trimmed  as  long  as  they 
shall  need  to  "burn.  Let  not  our  present  weakness 
tempt  us  to  limit  the  Holy  One  of  Israel.  There  is  a 
hospice  on  every  pass  over  the  Alps  of  life,  and  a 
bridge  across  every  river  of  trial  which  crosses  our 
way  to  the  Celestial  City.  Holy  angels  are  as  numer- 
ous to  guard  us  as  fallen  ones  to  tempt  us.  We  shall 
ilever  have  a  need  for  which  our  gracious  Father  has 
furnished  no  supply. 

I  see,  most  plainly,  a  Power  overruling  all  things 
which  occur  in  the  way  we  tread.  I  see  an  alembic 
in  which  all  things  are  transformed.  "  All  things  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God,  to  them  that 
are  called  according  to  His  purpose."     I  see  a  wonder- 


KEV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON.  595 

working  hand  which  turns  for  us  the  swords  of  disease 
into  the  ploughshares  of  correction  and  the  spears  of 
trial  into  the  pruning-hooks  of  discipline.  By  this 
divine  skill  bitters  are  made  sweet  and  poisons  turned 
to  medicines.  "  Nothing  shall  by  any  means  harm 
you,"  is  a  promise  too  strong  for  feeble  faith ;  but  full 
assurance  finds  it  true.  Since  God  is  for  us,  who  can 
be  against  us  ?  What  a  joy  to  see  Jehovah  Himself 
as  our  banner  and  God  Himself  with  us  as  our  Cap- 
tain !  Forward,  then,  into  the  New  Year,  "  for  there 
shall  no  evil  befall  you." 

One  thing  more,  and  this  is  brightness  itself;  this 
year  we  trust  we  shall  see  God  glorified  by  us  and  in 
us.  If  we  realize  our  chief  end  we  reach  our  highest 
enjoyment.  It  is  the  delight  of  the  renewed  heart  to 
think  that  God  can  get  glory  out  of  such  poor  creatures 
as  we  are.  "God  is  light."  We  cannot  add  to  His 
brightness ;  but  we  may  act  as  reflectors,  which,  though 
they  have  no  light  of  their  own,  yet,  when  the  sun 
shines  upon  them,  reflect  his  beams  and  send  them 
where,  without  such  reflection,  they  might  not  have 
come.  When  the  Lord  shines  upon  us,  we  will  cast 
that  light  upon  dark  places  and  make  those  who 
sit  in  the  shadow  of  death  to  rejoice  in  Jesus  our  Lord. 
We  hope  that  God  has  been  in  some  measure  glorified 
in  some  of  us  during  the  past  year,  but  we  trust  He  will 
be  glorified  by  us  far  more  in  the  year  which  now  be- 
gins. We  will  be  content  to  glorify  God  either  actively 
or  passively.  We  would  have  it  so  happen  that,  when 
our  life's  history  is  written,  whoever  reads  it  will  not 


596  CHOICE  SELECTIONS. 

think  of  us  as  "self-made  men,"  but  as  the  handiwork 
of  God,  in  whom  His  grace  is  magnified.  Not  in  us 
may  men  see  the  clay,  but  the  Potter's  hand.  They 
said  of  one,  "He  is  a  fine  preacher;"  but  of  another 
they  said:  "We  never  notice  how  he  preaches,  but  we 
feel  that  God  is  great."  We  wish  our  whole  life  to  be 
a  sacrifice ;  an  altar  of  incense  continually  smoking 
with  sweet  perfume  to  the  Most  High. 

Oh,  to  be  borne  through  the  year  on  the  wings  of 
praise  to  God ;  to  mount  from  year  to  year,  and  raise 
at  each  ascent  a  loftier  and  yet  lowlier  song  unto  the 
God  of  our  life  !  The  vista  of  a  praiseful  life  will  never 
close,  but  continue  throughout  eternity.  From  psalm 
to  psalm,  from  hallelujah  to  hallelujah,  we  will  ascend 
the  hill  of  the  Lord,  until  we  come  into  the  holiest  of 
all,  where,  with  veiled  faces,  we  will  bow  before  the  Di- 
vine Majesty  in  the  bliss  of  endless  adoration.  Through- 
out this  year  may  the  Lord  be  with  you  !     Amen. 


TRIBUTES  TO  REV.  CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON. 


From  Kev.  T.  DEWITT  TALMAGE,  D.  D. 

When,  twenty  years  ago,  Rev.  Charles  H.  Spurgeon 
and  myself  met  in  London,  my  salutation  was :  "  I 
read  your  sermons;"  and  his  answer  was :  "Every- 
body reads  yours."  From  that  day  to  this,  at  various 
times  and  in  various  ways,  we  have  been  in  intercom^ 
munication.  But  the  volume  of  his  earthly  life  is 
closed,  and  he  has  gone  up  to  join  the  immortals. 
Among  the  first  whom  he  picks  out  in  heaven  will  be 
the  souls  of  the  Jonathan  Edwards  and  John  Calvin 
stamp — the  men  who  believe,  and  believe  with  all 
their  might,  souls  of  a  tremendous  evangelism.  On 
earth  we  seek  out  those  with  whom  we  are  in  affinity, 
and  so  it  will  be  in  heaven.  What  a  long  battle  with 
disease  the  English  preacher  had — the  last  seven 
months  an  agony  !  We  had  hoped  he  would  conquer 
and  again  take  pulpit  and  pen.     But  God  knows  best. 

What  a  contrast  between  the  honor  in  which  his 
name  is  now  held  throughout  Christendom  and  the 
caricature  and  abuse  with  which  he  was  for  many 
years  assailed.  He  had  kept  these  caricatures  in  a 
scrap  book,  and  was  in  later  years  accustomed  to  show 
them  to  his  friends.  The  first  picture  I  ever  saw  of 
him  represented  him  as  sliding  down  the  railing  of 
his  pulpit,  in  the  presence  of  his  audience,  to  show 

597 


598  REV.    CHARLES  H.    SPURGEON. 

how  easy  it  was  to  go  to  hell,  and  then  as  climbing  up 
the  opposite  rail  of  the  pulpit  to  show  how  hard  it  was 
for  a  man  to  climb  to  heaven.  The  most  of  the  peo- 
ple at  that  time  actually  believed  that  he  had  taken 
those  two  postures,  descending  one  rail  and  ascending 
the  other;  and  within  a  year  I  have  seen  a  newspaper 
article  implying  that  in  early  life  he  had  assumed  those 
attitudes. 

Within  a  week  the  old  story  falsely  ascribed  to  Mr. 
Beecher  was  ascribed  to  Mr.  Spurgeon — that  expres- 
sion, on  entering  the  pulpit,  about  a  hot  night,  with  a 
profane  expletive.  These  old  lies  are  passed  on  from 
age  to  age,  now  tacked  on  to  one  man  and  now  tacked 
on  to  another.  A  while  after  I  had  moved  to  Brooklyn, 
while  walkinof  alongf  Schermerhorn  street  with  Mr. 
Beecher,  he  said:  "  Mr.  Talmage,  I  am  very  glad  you 
have  come  to  Brooklyn.  The  misrepresentations  and 
falsehoods  told  about  me  will  now  be  divided  up,  and 
you  will  take  half  as  your  share.'' 

But  Mr.  Spurgeon  outlived  his  critics,  and  in  the 
long  run  every  man  comes  to  be  taken  for  what  he  is 
worth,  and  you  can't  puff  him  up  and  you  can't  keep 
him  down.  And,  as  I  told  Mr.  Martin  FarquharTup- 
per  when  he  was  last  in  this  country  and  disposed  to 
complain  of  some  things  said  and  written  in  regard  to 
him  :  "  Why,  we  in  America  never  think  much  of  a 
man  until  we  have  rubbed  him  down  with  a  crash 
towel." 


TRIBUTES.  599 

From  Rev.  WAYLAND  HOYT,  D.D. 

Pastor  of  First  Baptist  Church,  Minneapolis. 

Mr.  Spurgeon's  chief  characteristic  was  a  firm  reli- 
ance upon  God,  a  faith  that  kept  its  eye  steady  and 
saw  a  bright  outcome  to  the  darkest  experiences.  He 
lived  upon  heavenly  bounty,  and  was  so  fully  con- 
vinced that  God  would  fulfil  his  promises  that  he 
never  gave  way  to  despondency. 

Once  when  I  asked  him  how  he  expected  to  accomplish 
a  great  undertaking  he  had  in  hand,  he  replied,  "The 
Lord  has  never  failed  me  yet,  and  why  should  I  not 
trust  him  now  ?  "  This  consciousness  that  God  was 
with  him  and  speaking  through  him  made  him  the  bold 
reformer,  the  earnest  preacher,  the  grand  organizer 
and  noble  man  that  he  was. 

From  HENKY  VAN  DYKE,  D.  D. 

It  is  not  possible  to  make  a  true  estimate  at  the 
present  moment  of  the  work  of  the  Rev.  Charles  H. 
Spurgeon.  It  is  too  near  to  us ;  we  lack  perspective. 
It  is  too  immense ;  we  are  so  overwhelmed  by  the 
quantity  of  it  that  we  are  not  in  a  position  to  put  a 
right  value  upon  its  quality.  One  thing  we  Americans 
are  likely  to  forget,  and  that  is  its  distinct  character 
as  a  work  in  and  for  the  city  of  London.  It  was 
adapted  in  every  detail  to  the  place  in  which  it  was 
performed ;  there  was  a  great  natural  genius  shown 
in  this  adaptation ;  it  fitted  London  as  a  glove  fits  the 
hand,  and  this  is  one  reason  why  it  was  so  enormously 
useful. 

I  remember  the  late  Canon  Liddon  speaking  to  me 


600  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPUKGEON. 

about  this  some  years  ago  in  the  course  ot  a  long 
walk  through  the  city.  He  counted  Mr.  Spurgeon's 
Tabernacle  among  the  very  greatest  religious  influ- 
ences of  the  metropolis,  because  it  drew  together  such 
vast  multitudes  under  the  power  of  common  worship. 
It  was  an  expression  of  human  fellowship  in  aspiration 
and  praise.  I  think  the  future  will  increase  our  sense 
of  the  value  of  his  work  in  this  aspect.  We  shall  also 
come  to  think  more  and  more  highly  of  the  close  con- 
nection which  he  made,  by  his  example,  between 
spiritual  faith  and  practical  benevolence.  The  Or- 
phanage is  the  best  of  his  sermons. 

From  Rev.  JOHN  KXOX  ALLKN^. 

In  the  death  of  Mr.  Spurgeon  there  passes  away 
one  who  was  probably  the  greatest  preacher  of  the 
century,  perhaps  of  any  century.  Mr.  Beecher  is 
often  spoken  of  in  connection  with  him,  but  there  is  a 
difference.  Mr.  Beecher  was  a  oreat  orator;  he  had 
a  vivid  and  powerful  imagination,  and  as  a  prose  poet, 
as  an  intellectual  orenius  in  the  closer  meaninof  of  that 
term,  he  probably  has  had  no  peer  in  the  pulpit  in 
any  age.  But  as  a  herald  of  the  simple  gospel,  as 
before  all  things  a  preacher,  no  one  can  compare  with 
Mr.  Spurgeon. 

And  in  this  way  he  equally  deserves  the  name  of 
genius.  It  is  a  great  word  to  apply  to  any  one,  but 
the  man  who  did  such  great  things  and  did  them  so 
easily,  who  could  preach  a  sermon  a  day  for  long 
periods  of  time,  and  a  sermon  too  which  would  be 
listened  to  by  multitudes ;  whose  lines  went  out  through 


TRIBUTES. 


601 


all  the  earth,  and  whose  words  to  the  end  of  the  world  ; 
the  man  who  could  set  in  motion  so  many  agencies  for 
doing  good  and  keep  them  going,  was  an  elect  man — 
did  not  merely  achieve  greatness,  but  was  born  great. 
His  death  is  a  loss  to  the  church  throughout  the  world, 
and  were  it  not  that  the  power  which  gave  him  to  the 
world  can  easily  give  something  more  and  better,  it 
would  be  a  loss  that  is  irreparable. 

From  Rev.  W.  C.  BITTING,  D.  D. 

It  is  too  soon  to  make  any  final  estimate  of  the  man 
and  minister,  Charles  Haddon  Spurgeon.  The  world 
cannot  pause  in  its  grief  to  weigh.  When  the  sense 
of  loss  has  become  less  keen,  then  the  various  stand- 
ards of  judgment  may  be  applied. 

For  the  masses  of  Christians  his  sermons  had  in- 
comparable interest.  They  did  not  appeal  so  strongly 
to  the  cultured.  He  meant  it  so,  perhaps.  He  dared 
to  judge  and  condemn  what  he  thought  were  doctrinal 
errors  in  his  brethren,  and  yet  his  censures  were  not 
of  persons,  but  beliefs.  He  combined  a  remarkable 
tenacity  of  his  own  opinions  with  affection  for  those 
who  differed  most  widely  from  him.  This  was  true 
tolerance. 

I  will  not  soon  forget  the  sermon  he  preached  on 
his  fifty-third  birthday  anniversary,  just  two  days  be- 
'fore  the  Queen's  Jubilee.  "Let  the  children  of  Zion 
rejoice  in  their  King."  The  soul  of  the  man  shone  in 
it.  He  poured  out  himself  in  the  opening  services, 
and  the  discourse  seemed  rather  like  a  revelation  of 
his  own  gladness  than  an  exhortation  to  6,000  auditors. 


602  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

The  man  of  faith,  prayer,  loyalty  to  Christ,  joy,  hope, 
was  at  his  best. 

He  was  like  Jacob  in  prayer,  a  veritable  Israel ; 
like  Abraham  in  faith ;  like  Job  in  his  suffering ;  now 
like  John  the  Baptist,  and  now  like  John  the  Apostle 
in  his  preaching ;  as  steady  as  Micaiah  before  Ahab 
and  Zedekiah  in  rebuking  those  whom  he  believed  to 
be  false  prophets  ;  like  David  in  his  superb  religious 
emotions  ;  like  Paul  in  his  fidelity  to  his  master ;  and 
like  Jesus  in  humility  and  consecration.  He  was  yet 
a  man  and  imperfect,  but  less  so  than  many  of  his 
detractors,  who  indeed  are  really  few. 

It  will  be  long  before  the  world  knows  another  such. 
It  takes  centuries  to  produce  one  like  him.  The 
church  universal  has  had  a  loss.  She  mourns.  Mil- 
lions of  eyes  moistened  as  they  read  of  his  death.  To 
thousands  of  ears  no  voice  will  ever  sound  so  dear  as 
his.  All  over  the  world  hands  that  have  grasped  his 
have  taken  a  new  mi^ht  to  work  for  the  Christ  whom 
he  exalted  while  humbling  himself  A  true  cardinal, 
a  prince  of  the  church  ;  a  name  greater  than  all  titles  ; 
a  plain  man  more  superb  in  unadorned  manhood  than 
if  belettered  by  the  world ;  a  childlike  Christian — 
heaven's  honors  rested  on  him  here.  They  are  his 
everlasting  joy  now. 

From  WILLIAM  T.  SABINE,  D.  D. 
Pastor  of  the  First  Reformed  Episcopal  Church,  New  York. 

You  ask  a  brief  estimate  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's  life  and 
work.  Volumes  would  not  do  them  justice.  The 
V/orld  is  his  debtor.     Charles  Haddon  Spurgeon  was 


TRIBUTES.  603 

called  a  Baptist,  but  he  was  one  of  those  men  too 
great  to  be  claimed  by  any  denomination.  Millions 
of  believers  of  every  name  were  edified  by  his  words, 
and  quickened  by  the  example  of  his  wonderful  life. 

Among  his  many  admirable  traits,  and  at  the  root 
of  them,  lay  his  clear  apprehension  of  divine  truth, 
his  firm  grasp  of  it,  inflexible  loyalty  to  it,  and  inces- 
sant proclamation  of  it.  He  was  a  man  of  a  whole 
Bible.  From  Genesis  to  Revelation  it  was  to  him 
"the  true  Word  of  the  true  God." 

If  he  was  conspicuous  for  anything,  he  was  con- 
spicuous for  his  unswerving  allegiance  to  "  the  Word." 
His  theology  was  as  broad  and  as  narrow  as  the  Bible. 
With  him  a  "thus  saith  the  Lord"  settled  everything. 

With  a  warm  heart  and  a  very  clear  head,  a  very 
busy  hand  and  a  supreme  devotion  to  the  Master  he 
served,  men  may  call  him  narrow  if  they  please.  God 
has  set  the  seal  of  his  divine  approval,  passing  con- 
tradiction, on  the  work  of  the  London  Tabernacle 
pastor,  and  called  him  to  his  reward.     What  a  reward  ! 

From  Rev.  JOH?^  L.  SCUDDER, 

Pastor  of  the  First  Congregational  Church,  Jersey  City,  New  Jersey. 

When  as  a  boy  I  entered  Mr.  Spurgeon's  great 
Tabernacle,  and  saw  that  vast  concourse  of  people,  I 
thought  the  famous  preacher  the  most  wonderful  man 
living ;  and  he  was  at  that  time.  Although  in  this  day 
he  would  be  regarded  as  somewhat  old-fashioned  in 
his  theology  and  narrow  in  his  views,  yet  we  must 
acknowledge   him  to  be   the   most  popular   English 


604  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SFURGEON. 

preacher  of  this  century.  His  speech  was  simple,  his 
manner  direct,  his  earnestness  unfeigned,  and  his  mag- 
netism overwhelming.  He  was  an  ideal  man  for  the 
middle  classes,  and  by  them  he  was  universally  beloved. 
His  church  was  one  of  the  great  sights  of  London,  and 
was  visited  by  travelers,  especially  on  Sunday,  as  one 
of  the  principal  points  of  interest.  His  work  can  be 
summed  up  in  the  words,  he  loved  Christ  with  all  his 
heart,  and  he  preached  Christ  with  all  his  might.  He 
kept  the  Cross  clearly  in  sight,  he  pointed  men  to  it, 
while  he  himself  took  a  humble  position  behind  it. 

From  CHARLES  L.  THOMPSON,  D.I>., 

Pastor  of  the  Madison  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church,  New  York. 

By  general  consent,  the  death  of  Mr.  Spurgeon 
removes  from  earth  one  of  the  greatest  preachers  of 
all  the  ages.  Whether  we  understand  the  secret  of 
his  power  or  not,  the  fact  is  past  all  question.  If 
called  upon  to  group  the  chief  elements  of  his  pulpit 
greatness,  I  would  say  a  strong  mind,  with  all  its  forces 
at  instant  command,  a  marvelous  knowledge  of  human 
nature,  a  heart-deep  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  a  spirit 
absolutely  consecrated  to  Christ  and  the  souls  of  men, 
and  for  the  utterance  of  the  Gospel  such  a  voice  as 
God  has  rarely  given  to  mortal  man.  His  greatness 
as  a  preacher  has  somewhat  obscured  another  side  of 
his  orreatness  which  should  not  be  forgotten.  He  had 
a  genius  for  organizing.  It  is  perhaps  the  rarest  of 
all  kinds  of  talent.  By  it  he  gave  permanence  to  his 
work.  The  wonderful  voice  is  silent,  but  much  of  his 
work  organized  in  Christian  institutions  will  go  on. 


TRIBUTES.  605 

On  the  whole  I  believe  more  elements  of  religious 
power  were  combined  in  that  man  than  in  any  preacher 
of  the  sons  of  men.  A  vigorous  and  endlessly  fertile 
brain,  a  great  heart  always  breaking  for  the  salvation 
of  men,  an-  executive  hand  to  fasten  his  work,  and  a 
character  so  strong  and  Christ-like  it  illuminated  every- 
thing he  did.     Will  we  ever  see  his  like  again  ? 

Good-night,  sweet  prince, 

And  flights  of  angels  sing  thee  to  thy  rest. 

From  Rev.  LYMAN  ABBOTT,  D.D., 

In  "  The  Christian  Union." 

As  a  preacher,  Mr.  Spurgeon  possessed  the  quali- 
ties most  essential  to  success  in  the  pulpit,  and  is  well 
worth  the  careful  study  of  all  preachers.  He  was  not 
what  men  call  an  orator.  Whether  from  deliberate 
choice,  like  Paul,  or  following  the  instincts  of  his  nature 
we  know  not,  but  he  apparently  deliberately  laid  aside 
all  ambition  to  be  eloquent — an  ambition  which  has 
often  proved  destructive  to  pulpit  power.  He  was  one 
of  the  earliest  to  adopt  that  conversational  and  collo- 
quial style  of  address  which  is  more  and  more  sup- 
planting the  former  rhetorical  style.  If  he  sometimes 
fell  below  the  dignity  of  public  discourse,  he  never  was 

guilty  of  rant. 

As  a  student  he  lived  in  the  literature  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  and  derived  from  his  study  of  it  a 
singularly  pure  English.  This  English  he  used  as  the 
vehicle  of  convictions  always  sincerely  entertained  and 
earnestly  presented.  So,  though  he  was  sometimes 
conventional,  he   was   never   pretentious,  and  never 


606  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

marred  his  discourses  by  that  fatal  but  common  fault 
of  religious  discourse,  cant.  He  was  a  great  student 
of  the  Bible,  and  from  it  drew  both  the  substance  and 
the  form  of  his  discourses.  He  did  not  always  under- 
stand the  Bible  as  we  do,  but  he  always  presented 
what  he  understood  to  be  Bible  teaching. 

What  is  more  important,  from  it  he  fed  a  nature 
which  grew  in  spirituality  as  he  grew  in  years.  Even 
in  so  purely  ethical  a  book  as  "  John  Ploughman's 
Talks,"  underneath  a  practical  wisdom  as  sententious 
as  that  of  Poor  Richard  himself,  gleams  and  glows  a 
light  of  spiritual  life  which  Benjamin  Franklin  wholly 
lacked,  or  at  least  never  expressed.  The  divisions  of 
his  sermons  were  sometimes  ingenious  rather  than 
philosophical,  sometimes  artificial  rather  than  truly 
artistic.  His  sometimes  archaic  method  would  not  fit 
well  in  the  hands  of  an  imitator.  But  this  ingenuity 
became  a  second  nature  in  one  who  drew  his  literary 
as  well  as  his  theological  inspiration  so  largely  from 
an  artificial  age  ;  hence  his  use  of  It  was  not  truly  arti- 
ficial. Moreover,  all  criticism  of  the  form,  whether  of 
thought  or  of  words,  was  disarmed  by  the  genuineness 
of  the  life  which  filled  and  overflowed  his  words.  That 
life  was  shown  as  notably  in  generous  deeds  and  self- 
sacrificing  service  as  in  pulpit  utterances ;  he  was  a 
great  preacher  because  he  was  first  of  all  a  true  man. 
His  deeds  and  his  words  harmonized;  he  lived  as  he 
preached. 

From  THE  CHRISTIAN  AT  WORK. 

With  the  death  of  Charles  Haddon  Spurgeon  a  vast 


TRIBUTES.  607 

Spiritual  force  has  gone  out  not  only  in  England  but 
in  the  world.  As  St.  Beuve  said  of  Victor  Cousin,  he 
was  not  so  much  a  person  as  a  mighty,  ever  expand- 
ing, pervasive  force  !  He  is  not  indeed  as  some  of 
his  fulsome  admirers  maintain,  to  be  ranked  with 
Martin  Luther,  for  he  was  very  different  in  character 
from  the  unique  German  Reformer,  and  moreover  had 
a  far  different  sort  of  a  battle  to  figrht.  He  deserves 
rather  to  be  compared  with  George  Whitefield  and 
John  Wesley,  and  he  was  more  like  the  latter  than  the 
former,  since  he  was  a  grand  organizer  as  well  as 
preacher. 

His  voice  was  wonderful.  It  swept  in  distinct,  flex- 
ible, sweet,  strong  tones,  molded  into  faultless  articula- 
tion through  the  great  tabernacle,  reaching  easily  and 
apparently  without  the  slightest  effort  six  thousand 
hearers,  and  riveting  their  entire  attention  from  the 
first  sentence.  There  was  an  indefinable  quality  in 
his  voice,  as  is  the  case  with  all  great  orators,  that 
made  it  captivating  and  thrilling.  Perhaps  it  was  his 
tremendous  and  irresistible  personality  that  spoke 
through  it.  Whatever  it  was  it  would  conquer  a  vast 
multitude  in  an  instant.  This  made  him  a  peerless 
speaker. 

To  crown  all,  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  a  singularly  un- 
selfish and  noble  man  in  his  personal  character.  He 
seemed  not  to  know  what  worldliness  was.  His  mode 
of  life  was  fruQral  and  unostentatious.  Nor  did  he 
ever  evince  the  slightest  covetousness.  Generous  to 
a  fault,  he  could  not  be  induced  to  keep  the  fortunes 


608  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

laid  freely  at  his  feet.  At  his  silver  wedding  his  friends 
gave  him  ^30,000 ;  at  his  50th  year  his  congregation 
gave  him  ^25,000 ;  but  both  of  these  large  sums  were 
soon  distributed  by  him  to  his  various  mission  works. 
Such  disinterested  love  illustrates  the  power  of  the 
Gospel.  It  will  be  long  before  this  sinful  world  of 
ours  will  see  his  like  again. 

From  THE  NEW  YORK  DAILY  TRIBUNE. 

No  preacher  of  modern  times  has  enjoyed  a  wider 
publicity  than  the  late  Charles  H.  Spurgeon.  The 
many  volumes  of  his  sermons  and  writings  have  gone 
out  into  all  the  world ;  and  could  all  that  has  been 
written  about  him  be  collected,  it  would  form  a  library 
of  no  mean  size.  Yet  there  are  many  incidents  untold 
and  traits  still  undescribed.  Every  week,  one,  and 
sometimes  three  sermons  were  printed  and  distributed 
all  over  the  civilized  world  by  the  regular  issue  from 
Passmore  &  Alabaster's  printing  office  in  Paternoster 
Row,  London.  Monday  morning  was  the  only  time 
he  took  for  rest.  He  was  speaking  on  Monday  even- 
ing. If  he  went  to  preach  elsewhere  it  must  be  a  fresh 
sermon.  All  were  reported  and  printed.  On  Thurs- 
day evening  at  the  Metropolitan  Tabernacle  it  was  the 
same.  On  Friday  afternoon  he  lectured  to  the  stu- 
dents, and  all  through  the  week  went  on  his  continual 
and  laborious  authorship.  Such  things  could  only  be 
possible  to  a  man  to  whom,  as  he  himself  once  inci- 
dentally and  graphically  described  it,  "  sermons  came 
floating  in  the  air,  so  that  he  caught  them  on  the  wing 


TRIBUTES.  609 

and  put  them  away  in  various  corners  of  his  brain  to 
be  used  as  occasion  required." 

His  mode  of  preparation,  which  was  scarcely  ever 
begun  for  Sunday  morning  until  Saturday  evening, 
while  the  sermon  for  Sunday  night  was  prepared  on 
Sunday  afternoon,  was  to  sit  down  and  think  over 
some  of  the  topics  which  had  "  come  to  him,"  and 
then  to  o-ather  round  him  all  the  books  which  bore 
upon  those  topics,  and  see  which,  to  use  his  own  ex- 
pression, "  laid  hold  of  him  the  most  tightly."  Here 
are  his  own  words  upon  the  matter  as  spoken  to  the 
writer  : 

"  I  am  frequendy  surrounded  by  a  little  host  of 
texts,  each  clamoring  for  acceptance  and  saying,  *  Me, 
me,  preach  from  me,'  so  that  I  am  often  till  ten 
o'clock  before  I  make  my  final  selection. 

A  Midniglit  Seriuon. 

"  On  one  memorable  occasion,  however,  all  failed 
me.  It  was  one  of  the  strangest  experiences  I  have 
known.  Ten,  eleven,  twelve  o'clock  came  and  still  I 
had  no  topic  for  the  following  Sunday  morning.  At 
last  my  wife  came  into  the  room,  laid  her  hand  on  my 
shoulder,  and  said,  '  Had  you  not  better  go  to  bed? 
Try  what  a  few  hours  sleep  will  do.'  I  took  her 
advice  and  retired.  About  eight  o'clock  I  sprang 
from  the  bed  under  the  somewhat  unpleasant  con- 
sciousness of  still  being  without  a  topic.  On  leaving 
the  room  she  asked  me  where  I  was  going.  I  replied, 
of  course,  into  the  study. 

"  Noticing  an  amused  smile  upon  her  face,  I  asked 

39 


610  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

her  the  cause.  '  You  will  find  out  when  you  get  there,' 
was  the  reply.  Going  up  to  the  table,  what  was  my 
astonishment  to  find  a  text  jotted  down,  a  lot  of  notes 
scattered  about  in  my  own  handwriting,  of  which  I  had 
no  recollection  whatever,  and  to  feel  a  train  of  thought 
come  back  to  me  with  the  notes,  which  at  once  supplied 
me  with  a  sermon. 

"A  glimmering  consciousness  of  the  truth  dawned 
upon  me,  but  I  hastened  to  her  for  an  explanation. 
'About  two  o'clock  this  morning,'  she  said,  *  you  got 
up  and  went  down  to  your  study  and  I  followed  you. 
You  were  apparently  fast  asleep.  You  seated  your- 
self in  your  chair,  gathered  paper  and  pen,  and  began 
to  write.  I  feared  to  disturb  you,  so  I  sat  and  waited. 
You  thought  and  wrote  for  about  one  hour,  then  rose 
deliberately  from  your  chair  and  went  upstairs  to  bed 
again,  and  slept  till  you  rose  just  now.'  I  preached 
that  sermon  and  it  was  certainly  not  inferior  to  my 
usual  productions. 

His  Stjle  of  Oratory. 

Spurgeon's  style  of  oratory  was  simple,  forcible  and 
above  everything  natural.  In  his  younger  days  he 
was  extremely  dramatic,  so  much  so  as  to  give  rise  to 
many  absurd  stories,  which  he  has  taken  the  trouble 
personally  to  deny  and  disprove.  One  was  the  well- 
known  anecdote  about  his  showing  how  sinners  went 
to  hell  by  sliding  down  the  banisters  of  his  pulpit. 
Without  these  absurd  additions,  however,  his  delivery 
was  sufficiently  histrionic  and  descriptive  in  action  to 


TRIBUTES.  611 

make  this  no  inconsiderable  element  in  his  remark- 
able success. 

Preaching  on  one  occasion  from  the  subject  of  "Aaron 
staying  the  plague  in  the  camp  by  standing  between 
the  living  and  the  dead,"  he  retired  to  the  back  of  the 
large  platform,  almost  out  of  sight  of  the  audience, 
and  then  suddenly  approaching,  swinging  an  imaginary 
censer,  he  depicted  the  terrible  earnestness  of  the 
Hiorh  Priest  with  face  and  fieure  and  langruagfe,  so  as 
almost  to  overwhelm  the  thronsf  gathered  in  the  vast 
building. 

The  Old  War-horse. 

In  these  latter  days  his  corpulence  necessitated  a 
more  formal  mode  of  delivery.  But,  like  an  old  w^ar- 
horse,  he  could  not  altogether  forget  the  habits  of  the 
past.  Under  the  inspiration  of  the  moment  he  would 
sometimes  start  off  as  in  days  of  yore,  only  to  find  that 
the  time  for  such  things  had  gone  by,  and  rheumatic 
gout  w^ould  bring  him  up  "all  standing,"  as  a  sailor 
would  phrase  it. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  such  a  speaker  was  not 
much  encumbered  with  notes  in  the  pulpit.  The  back 
of  an  old  envelope,  with  the  ragged  edges  trimmed 
off,  bearing  about  six  lines  of  writing,  would  some- 
times remain  as  a  memento  of  a  discourse  which  had 
electrified  six  thousand  people,  and  which  on  the 
following  morning  would  issue  from  the  press  to  the 
four  corners  of  the  world,  but  more  frequently  he 
would  cro  and  leave  "  not  a  trace  behind." 


612  KEY.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

A  Marvelous  Voice. 

One  of  the  great  secrets  of  Spurgeon's  power  was 
his  marvelous  voice.  He  has  been  heard  distinctly  at 
the  Crystal  Palace,  Sydenham,  by  twenty-three  thou- 
sand people,  and  in  the  Metropolitan  Tabernacle  he 
could  whisper  so  as  to  be  heard  all  over  the  building. 
Another  factor  in  his  influence  was  his  extreme 
naturalness.  He  seemed  a  man  absolutely  without 
disguise  of  any  kind  whatever,  and  the  more  fre- 
quently you  came  in  contact  with  him  the  more  was 
this  impression  borne  in  upon  you. 

Upon  the  public  platform,  his  eyes  would  flash  at 
some  story  of  private  or  public  wrong-doing ;  he  would 
lean  forward,  oblivious  of  everybody,  with  his  soul  in 
his  face,  listening  to  the  story,  and  on  its  conclusion 
would  start  up,  and  rushing  forward  would  pour  forth 
for  some  ten  minutes  or  quarter  of  an  hour  a  stream 
of  indignant  denunciation  which  not  infrequently 
brought  many  of  his  audience  to  their  feet,  wild  with 
enthusiastic  endorsement  of  his  sentiments.  This 
was  not  the  mere  trick  of  an  orator.  It  was  the 
nature  of  the  man.  Over  a  tale  of  sorrow  he  would 
weep  so  as  to  be  unable  to  speak ;  over  a  good  joke 
he  would  laugh  so  as  to  be  heard  above  all  who  were 
sitting  with  him  on  the  platform.  In  preaching  he 
was  the  same.  You  could  not  resist  the  conviction 
that,  whoever  in  the  audience  doubted  the  truth  of 
what  he  was  saying,  he  himself  believed  it,  every 
w  Drd.  The  nearer  you  got  to  him,  the  more  you  felt 
tl  4$. 


TRIBUTES.  613 

A  Hater  of  Shams. 

He  had  a  hatred  of  shams  of  all  kinds.  He  fre- 
quendy  said  that  nothing  pleased  him  more  than  to 
put  his  foot  through  a  false  or  needless  code  of 
etiquette.  For  one  of  the  students  in  his  college  to 
be  in  any  way  marked  with  the  characterisdcs  of  the 
"  clerical  masher  "  was  almost  immediately  fatal  to  the 
delinquent.  A  hard  hand  and  a  threadbare  coat,  ac- 
companied by  honesty  and  hard  work  on  the  part  of 
the  owner,  were  unfailing  passports  to  his  regard  and 
esteem,  and  always  to  his  help,  if  help  were  needed ; 
but  "  needless  spectacles,"  stiff,  white  cravat,  black 
walking  cane,  formal  broadcloth,  clerical  assumpdon, 
and  above  all  a  frequent  Sunday-school  miss  seen  on 
the  man's  left  arm,  first  drew  forth  the  most  unsparing 
sarcasm,  and,  if  this  failed,  dismissal. 

It  was  this  characteristic  of  downright  sincerity  and 
thoroughness  which  made  Spurgeon  so  universally 
loved  and  esteemed.  Throughout  the  six  millions  of 
London  his  name  is  honored  by  all  sorts  and  con- 
ditions of  men,  from  cabmen  to  Cabinet  Ministers. 
He  numbered  on  the  list  of  his  personal  friends  all  the 
best-known  names  of  the  British  Liberal  platform. 
Royal  Hearers. 

Royalty  visited  the  Tabernacle.  Mr.  Gladstone 
dined  with  him  ;  and  a  cabby,  if  he  recognized  him, 
would  frequendy  refuse  his  fare,  considering  it  an 
honor  to  have  had  him  in  his  cab.  No  death,  since  the 
death  of  Charles  Dickens,  will  be  more  widely  and 
truly  mourned  in  England.     Persons  opposed  to  him 


614  REV.   CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

in  politics  claimed  his  friendship,  those  differing  from 
him  in  doctrine  sent  most  generous  contributions  to 
his  work,  and  he  has  letters  from  many  of  the  crowned 
heads  of  Europe  expressing  thanks  for  the  benefit  de- 
rived from  his  sermons. 

On  one  occasion  he  gave  the  substance  of  a  letter 
he  had  just  received  from  a  royal  personage  on  the 
Continent,  attributing  conversion  to  Christianity 
through  reading  his  printed  works  and  sermons,  and 
only  asking  that  in  the  announcement  the  name  might 
be  suppressed  for  political  reasons. 

Not  a  Handsome  Man. 

In  height  Spurgeon  was  about  five  feet  six  inches, 
andalthough  never  a  handsome  man  in  the  conventional 
use  of  the  term,  he  was  in  his  youth  possessed  of  that 
broad,  powerful  frame  which  is  always  attractive  in  a 
man  from  its  indication  of  superior  physical  strength. 
The  face,  like  the  figure,  was  remarkable  for  strength 
rather  than  beauty  of  outline  ;  but  when  lit  up  by  the 
mind  was  truly  magnificent  in  its  intensely  spiritual 
expression. 

In  make  and  mental  characteristics  he  bore  no 
slight  resemblance  to  the  first  Napoleon.  There  was 
the  same  pale,  powerful  face,  the  same  physical  con- 
formation, the  same  inflexible  determination  of  pur- 
pose, and  the  same  magnetic  power  over  the  hearts 
and  minds  of  others.  It  may  be  added  that  there  was 
in  later  years  the  same  increasing  corpulency  also. 
Once  let  Spurgeon's  mind  be  made  up  that  a  certain 
thing  was   right,  then   the   more    opposition   he    en- 


TRIBUTES.  615 

countered,  the  more  determined  he  became  to  do  just 
that  thing.  And  he  never  once  failed  in  anything  he 
undertook.  The  first  Napoleon  was  styled  "The 
Little  Corporal.''  Spurgeon  by  his  students  and 
deacons  was  called  '*  The  Governor."  The  statement 
"The  Governor  is  coming"  made  all  stand  at 
"  attention." 

His  appearance  toward  the  close  of  his  life,  and 
even  within  ten  or  fifteen  years  of  that  period,  was 
certainly  anything  but  graceful.  Each  year  he  grew 
fatter.  Incessant  work  and  constant  suffering  dis- 
torted his  features  almost  out  of  all  semblance  to  their 
early  comeliness.  Nothing  but  utter  helplessness 
could  keep  him  away  from  the  fulfilment  of  an  en- 
gagement. He  would  frequently  struggle  out  of  bed 
and  come  to  a  larg^e  meetinof  of  his  students,  leaningf 
upon  his  stick,  one  eye  closed  entirely,  face  and  limbs 
swollen  so  as  to  make  him  almost  unrecognizable,  de- 
liver a  sermon  or  a  lecture  of  an  hour's  duration  with 
all  his  accustomed  fire  and  force,  and  then  go  home 
to  lie  utterly  prostrated  and  almost  at  the  point  of 
death  for  two  or  three  days,  until  the  doctors  brought 
him  around  again. 

One  of  His  Stories. 

A  visitor  to  the  Pastor's  College,  who  dropped  in 
casually  to  look  around,  might  have  come  across  a 
stout,  burly  individual  in  a  long  frock  overcoat,  a  felt 
hat  of  the  familiar  American  pattern  punched  in  at  the 
crown,  with  a  stout  stick  over  his  shoulder,  or,  if  occa- 
sion required,  used  to  limp  with,  and  would  probably 


616  RET.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEOX. 

take  him  for  some  English  'squire  who  had  forgotten 
his  top  boots,  or  for  a  well-to-do  farmer  come  up  like 
himself  to  look  around  the  place.  That  was  Spurgeon. 
He  never  wore  a  clerical  coat  or  hat,  in  the  pulpit  or 
out  of  it,  abhorred  the  tide  of  reverend,  and  in  all 
things  aimed  to  be  simply  a  man  among  men.  A 
brother  stick  to  the  one  he  usuallv  carried  was  lauo^h- 
ingly  cherished  by  him  at  home,  about  which  he  de- 
lighted to  tell  the  followinor  storv : 

"It  is  sometimes  rather  difficult  to  oret  alonof  with 
deacons.  Resist  the  devil  and  he  will  flee  from  you, 
resist  a  deacon  and  he  will  fly  at  you.  When  I  first 
began  to  preach  at  New  Park  street,  the  immense 
crowds  made  the  heat  so  oppressive  that  I  could 
scarcely  preach,  and  many  women  were  carried  out 
fainting.  I  asked  that  the  windows  be  opened.  The 
deacons,  in  the  exercise  of  their  high  authority,  objected- 
Next  Sunday  evening  I  ordered  a  man  to  open  them 
before  the  commencement  of  service.  They  were 
ordered  to  be  closed  again.  The  following  Sunday 
morning  many  of  those  windows  were  found  mysteri- 
ously broken  with  wondrous  regularity  all  around  the 
buildingr.  Great  was  the  indiofnation  and  searchinof 
the  investioration  into  this  act  of  vandalism.  It  was 
never  found  out,  though  possibly  suspected,  as  I  made 
no  great  secret  of  my  visit  to  the  building,  but  this  old 
stick  was  responsible  for  it.  Possibly  thirfking  that 
the  same  thing  might  occur  again,  the  windows  were 
left  in  future  under  my  control." 


TRIBUTES.  617 

Langhed  at  Wheu  on  Horseback. 

It  was  while  he  Hved  at  Clapham,  before  his  removal 
to  his  last  residence  at  Beulah  Hill,  Norwich,  that  Mr. 
Spurgeon  was  recommended  to  try  horseback  riding 
as  a  remedy  for  his  excessive  corpulency.  Fancy  a 
man  five  feet  six  inches  tall  and  fifty-two  inches  round, 
on  horseback  for  the  first  time.  It  was  calculated  to 
attract  attention.  And  it  did.  His  approach  to  the 
gates  was  eagerly  looked  for  by  a  large  crowd  of  small 
boys,  whose  remarks  were  humorous,  but  not  particu- 
larly flattering  to  his  horsemanship.  One  well-wisher 
suggested  that  he  should  "get  inside."  The  chorus 
of  "  Here  he  comes,"  "  Here  he  comes,"  increased 
morning  by  morning  until  the  procession  became  too 
triumphant  even  for  Spurgeon's  philosophy,  and  he 
relinquished  equestrianism  for  his  accustomed  mode  of 
progression. 

The  pastor  of  the  Tabernacle  was  a  great  lover  of 
a  good  "weed."  Frequently  he  would  "light  up"  on 
his  way  home  from  preaching,  if  he  happened  to  be  in 
a  closed  carriage.  His  many  friends  and  admirers 
consequently  kept  him  well  supplied  with  the  choicest 
brands,  and  he  received  boxes  of  cigars  continually 
from  all  parts  where  tobacco  is  grown  in  the  greatest 
perfection. 

His  readiness  and  tact  under  the  most  trvine  cir- 
cumstances  never  failed  him.  At  the  commencement 
of  his  career,  when  the  opposition  to  his  ministr)'  was 
at  its  highest,  all  kinds  of  annoyances  were  poured 
upon  him,  which  he  always  contrived  to  seize  instantly 


618  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

and  turn  to  good  account.  Sparrows  were  taken  to 
the  building  at  night  and  let  loose,  so  as  to  fly  at  the 
gas  and  create  a  panic.  He  would  always  quote 
some  passage  of  Scripture  in  his  half-humorous  fash- 
ion, and  say  a  few  words  about  it  which  not  only  at 
once  stopped  all  tumult,  but  delighted  and  interested 
his  hearers. 

His  Ready  Wit  and  Resources. 

On  one  occasion  he  had  been  preaching  about  five 
minutes,  when  suddenly  the  gas  went  out  and  10,000 
people  were  plunged  in  total  darkness.  Some  mis- 
creant had  orot  to  the  meter,  and  the  result  migrht  have 
been  then  what  soon  afterward  really  happened,  a  panic 
with  great  loss  of  life  and  limb,  A  few  calm,  reassur- 
ing words  issued  from  his  lips,  and  then,  without  a 
moment's  hesitation,  he  announced  a  fresh  text — "I 
am  the  light  of  the  world ;  he  that  believeth  in  me 
shall  not  walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of 
life."  He  spoke  from  the  words,  with  a  continual 
application  of  the  surrounding  circumstances  to  them, 
and  when  the  gas  was  at  length  lighted,  no  preacher 
could  have  desired  a  more  attentive,  absorbed  audi- 
ence. Then,  casting  aside  his  original  text  altogether, 
he  spoke  from  the  words,  "  Light  is  good,"  and  so 
continued  to  the  end  of  the  service. 

The  anecdotes  he  could  tell  of  the  many  circum- 
stances in  which  this  readiness  had  been  absolutely 
necessary  to  him  would  fill  a  large  volume.  He  was 
constantly  coming  in  contact  with  religious  cranks. 
So  frequently  was  this  the  case  that  at  the  Tabernacle 


TRIBUTES.  619 

he  was  never  alone.  Every  visitor  passed  under  the 
searching  gaze  of  deacons  and  personal  friends  before 
being  admitted  to  his  presence.  Yet  on  one  occasion 
it  was  only  his  great  tact  which  saved  his  life.  A 
man  applied  for  conversation  with  him  in  the  customary 
religious  terms,  and  was  permitted  to  enter  the  room. 
In  his  usual  affectionate  manner  Spurgeon  placed  a 
chair  for  him  right  opposite  himself  and  began  a  con- 
versation. And  then,  literally  as  well  as  figuratively, 
the  "murder  was  out,"  The  man  had  been  commis- 
sioned by  God  to  come  and  tell  him  that  his  work  was 
now  done,  and  that  he  was  the  appointed  minister 
who  was  to  have  the  honor  of  sendino-  him  to  his 
reward.  Only  by  the  exercise  of  care  and  tact  did 
the  great  preacher  escape  the  danger  and  get  the 
man  secured.  Far  more  sensational  and  startling 
incidents  than  this  could  be  related,  for  nothing  pro- 
duces more  fanatics,  enthusiasts  and  madmen  than 
religious  mania,  and  at  the  time  London  was  shaken 
to  its  centre  by  the  "  hell-fire  preacher,"  all  the  religious 
cranks  in  England  literally  besieged  him. 

From  Rev.  J.  M.  BUCKLEY,  D.  D., 

In  The  Christian  Advocate. 

The  closing  words  of  his  last  sermon  were  :  "  My 
time  is  ended,  although  I  had  much  more  to  say.  I 
can  only  pray  the  Lord  to  give  you  to  believe  in  him. 
If  I  should  never  again  have  the  pleasure  of  speaking 
for  my  Lord  upon  the  face  of  this  earth,  I  should  like 
to  deliver,  as  my  last  confession  of  faith,  this  testi- 
mony :  That  nothing  but  faith  can  save  this  nineteenth 


620  EEY.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

century  ;  nothing  but  faith  can  save  England  ;  nothing 
but  faith  can  save  the  present  unbeheving  church ; 
nothing  but  firm  faith  in  the  grand  old  doctrines  of 
grace  and  in  the  ever-living  and  unchanging  God  can 
bring  back  to  the  church  again  a  full  tide  of  pros- 
perity, and  make  her  to  be  the  deliverer  of  the  nations 
for  Christ ;  nothing  but  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  can 
save  you  or  me.  The  Lord  give  you,  my  brothers,  to 
believe  to  the  utmost  decree  for  his  name's  sake  ! 
Amen."     The  words  seem  to  have  been  prophetic. 

An  Unrivalled  Voice. 

The  elements  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's  character  as  a 
preacher  were  in  most  respects  those  common  to  good 
speakers,  but  were  possessed  by  him  in  an  extraor- 
dinary degree.  His  voice  had  no  equal  for  purposes 
of  preaching  to  an  immense  congregation.  Early  in 
his  London  career,  when  he  first  preached  on  a  special 
occasion  in  the  Crystal  Palace  to  an  audience  of  more 
than  twenty  thousand  persons,  Mrs.  Spurgeon,  who 
was  present,  became  almost  hysterical  with  fear  lest 
he  should  not  succeed  in  controlling  them.  He  per- 
ceived her  anxiety  and  tears,  and  sent  a  messenger  to 
ask  her  to  please  sit  where  he  could  not  see  her,  being 
afraid  that  she  would  sympathetically  affect  him. 
When  he  arose  and  began  to  speak  his  voice  reached 
the  most  distant  hearer,  and  the  great  multitude  were 
quiet  and  absorbed  until  he  finished.  No  other  man 
known  to  the  present  generation  could  have  done 
this ;  only  the  traditions  of  Whitefield's  wonderful 
voice  can  be  compared  to  Spurgeon's. 


TRIBUTES.  621 

His  personal  appearance  was  unprepossessing, 
unless  the  expression  of  the  eyes  was  caught,  or  the 
face  was  lighted  by  a  smile.  A  more  homely  man,  in 
the  ordinary  meaning  of  the  term,  is  seldom  seen ; 
irregular  and  coarse  features,  small,  rather  sunken 
eyes,  protruding  chin,  bushy  hair. 

In  his  early  days  he  was  opposed  and  caricatured, 
but  this  did  not  embitter  his  spirit ;  nor  did  the  almost 
idolatry  of  the  worshippers  at  the  Tabernacle  make 
him  unduly  vain,  for  he  always  gave  to  God  the  glory 
for  all  his  work.  No  one  could  hear  him  pray  of  late 
years  without  feeling  that  he  relied  humbly  upon 
God. 

Last  Services  over  the  Kemains  of  Rev.  C.  H.  Spiirgeon. 

Mr.  Spurgeon's  death,  as  before  stated,  occurred  at 
Mentone,  France.  The  remains  were  immediately 
removed  to  London,  and  on  Monday,  February  8th, 
1892,  were  deposited  in  the  Metropolitan  Tabernacle. 

Early  in  the  morning  immense  crowds  were  waiting 
for  the  doors  to  be  opened,  in  order  to  obtain  a  last  look 
of  the  illustrious  dead.  It  became  impossible  to  num- 
ber the  vast  throng  which  passed  by  the  casket,  but  it 
was  estimated  that  in  the  first  three  hours  more  than 
thirteen  thousand  persons  looked  for  the  last  time 
upon  the  face  of  the  dead  minister. 

The  last  memorial  service  over  the  remains  was 
held  on  Wednesday  evening,  February  loth.  The 
Metropolitan  Tabernacle  was  crowded,  and  the  ser- 
vices, which  were  not  concluded  until  after  midniofht, 
were  very  solemn  and  impressive. 


622  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

The  next  morning  a  majority  of  the  shops  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Tabernacle  were  closed,  as  a  mark  of 
respect  to  the  dead  minister,  and  the  buildings  very 
generally  bore  mourning  emblems.  The  funeral  ser- 
vices opened  at  1 1  o'clock.  The  members  of  Mr. 
Spurgeon's  family,  the  Mayor  of  Croydon,  several 
members  of  the  House  of  Commons,  Lady  Burdett- 
Coutts  and  deputations  from  sixty  religious  bodies 
were  among  those  present. 

Glowing  Tribute. 

After  the  singing  of  the  last  hymn  that  Mr.  Spur- 
geon  had  announced  before  he  was  taken  sick,  "  The 
sands  of  time  are  sinking,"  the  Rev.  Dr.  Pierson, 
the  American  minister  who  filled  Mr.  Spurgeon's 
pulpit  during  the  latter's  illness,  made  a  most  elo- 
quent address.  He  dwelt  at  length  upon  Mr.  Spur- 
geon's powerful  influence.  A  cedar  of  Lebanon  had 
fallen,  he  said,  and  the  crash  of  its  downfall  had 
shocked  the  whole  land.  No  such  vast  vacancy  had 
been  felt  in  the  Church  for  a  century. 

Dr.  Pierson  concluded  his  remarks  by  drawing  par^ 
allels  between  the  work  done  by  Mr.  Spurgeon  and 
that  performed  by  John  Wesley.  After  the  offering 
of  prayers  and  the  singing  of  hymns,  Dr.  Pierson  pro- 
nounced the  benediction. 

The  olive-wood  coffin  containing  the  remains  was 
then  taken  from  the  catafalque,  upon  which  it  had 
rested  since  Monday  night,  and  conveyed  to  the  hearse 
in  waiting  at  the  main  entrance  of  the  tabernacle.  As 
it  was  borne  down  the  aisle  the  entire  conofreeation 


TRIBUTES.  623 

arose  and  joined  in  singing  the  hymn,  "  There  is  no 
night  in  Homeland." 

Enormous  Procession. 

After  the  mourners  had  entered  carriages,  the 
funeral  procession  started  for  Norwood  Cemetery, 
where  the  remains  will  be  interred.  There  was  an 
enormous  number  of  coaches  in  the  procession,  and 
the  entire  route  from  the  tabernacle  to  the  cemetery 
was  lined  by  an  immense  concourse  of  people. 

Three  mounted  policemen  preceded  the  hearse. 
On  the  coffin  there  lay  an  open  Bible.  The  sides  of 
the  hearse  bore  the  text :  "  I  have  fought  a  good  fight, 
I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith."  As 
the  cortege  moved  slowly  along  the  spectators  re- 
moved their  hats  and  bowed  their  heads.  The  bells 
of  St.  Mary's  and  St.  Mark's  Churches  tolled  solemnly 
as  the  funeral  procession  passed.  The  flags  displayed 
along  the  route  followed  by  the  procession  were  all 
at  half  mast. 

Places  of  business  between  Kensington  and  Clap- 
ham  were  closed,  and  many  of  the  houses  had  their 
blinds  drawn.  The  children  from  the  Stockwell  Or- 
phanage occupied  a  raised  platform  that  had  been 
■  erected  for  their  use  at  a  point  where  a  good  view  of 
the  procession  could  be  had.  This  platform  was 
draped  with  black  crape  and  other  mourning  emblems. 

A  large  number  of  people  took  advantage  of  the 
deep  feeling  created  by  the  noted  divine's  death,  and 
they  did  a  brisk  trade  in  selling  Mr.  Spurgeon's  por- 
traits, biographies  and  mourning  rosettes. 


G24  REV.    CHARLES   H.    SPURGEON. 

Impressive  Sceue  at  the  Cemetery, 

There  was  an  immense  crowd  in  Norwood  Ceme- 
tery awaiting-  the  arrival  of  the  funeral  procession. 
Wlien  the  hearse  entered  the  cemetery  all  bared  their 
heads.  The  coffin  was  taken  from  the  hearse  and 
borne  reverently  to  the  vault,  in  which  it  was  depos- 
ited. This  vault  will  be  surmounted  by  a  bronze 
statue  of  Mr.  Spurgeon,  and  upon  it  will  be  placed 
bas-reliefs  symbolic  of  the  dead  minister's  benevolent 
works. 

The  only  persons  who  were  allowed  in  the  cemetery 
were  those  who  were  furnished  with  tickets.  The 
crowd  began  to  assemble  early  in  the  morning,  and 
lonof  before  the  time  set  for  the  corteo^e  to  arrive  an 
enormous  throne  was  stationed  about  the  vault  and 
in  its  vicinity. 

The  Rev.  Archibald  G.  Brown,  pastor  of  the  East 
London  Tabernacle,  delivered  the  funeral  oration  at 
the  cemetery.  Rev,  Dr.  Pierson  then  offered  a  prayer, 
the  language  of  which  was  touchingly  eloquent. 

The  Rt.  Rev.  Randall  Thomas  Davidson,  Bishop 
of  Rochester,  then  pronounced  the  benediction.  The 
services  were  very  impressive,  and  many  of  the  peo- 
ple who  listened  to  them  were  moved  to  tears. 

After  the  religious  ceremonies  had  been  concluded 
the  people  present  formed  in  line  and  slowly  filed  be- 
fore the  open  vault  and  took  their  last  look  upon  the 
coffin  of  the  man  whose  loss  is  mourned  by  thousands 
in  all  parts  of  the  world. 


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